As we welcome the month of October, I join the global health community in observing Breast Cancer Awareness Month under the @WHO theme Every Story is Unique, Every Journey Matters, which reminds us that behind every diagnosis lies an individual journey of courage, resilience and hope, while also compelling us to confront the profound inequities in geography, income and access to care that too often determine whether that journey leads to survival or to loss.

During #UNGA80 last week, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Rumbi Chakamba, Senior Editor at @Devex_Com, to reflect on the urgent need to close disparities in breast cancer outcomes, and in my capacity as a member of the @AstraZeneca Global Breast Cancer Care Council and contributor to the Breast Cancer Care Quality Index #BCCQI, I highlighted the importance of harnessing robust, data-driven instruments to benchmark progress, illuminate systemic inequities, guide the formulation of evidence-based reforms, and accelerate coordinated action at both national and global levels to deliver equitable, high-quality care and improved survival for women everywhere.

Globally, over 2.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and 670,000 lives are lost. While survival rates exceed 90% in high-income countries, they fall below 40% in much of Africa, including Nigeria, where breast cancer now accounts for nearly one in four cancer diagnoses among women.

Through my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, we continue to champion patient navigation for early detection, timely diagnosis and comprehensive treatment in Nigeria, aligning our efforts with the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative’s 60–60–80 targets and reaffirming our commitment to ensuring that every woman can access the standards of care that protect life and uphold dignity.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let us honour every unique story, support every journey, and work together to ensure equitable, compassionate, and high-quality care for all.

#BreastCancerAwarenessMonth
#EveryStoryIsUnique
#CancerCareEquity
#WellbeingForAll ...

On the 65th Anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence, we honour the vision and sacrifice that secured our sovereignty, and we reaffirm our guiding ideals of unity, justice, peace, and progress.

Through my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, I remain committed to strengthening maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, advancing water, sanitation and hygiene education, and promoting the wellbeing of communities as essential foundations for national development.

As we commemorate Independence, let us continue to advance the values of good governance, civic responsibility, and collective purpose, so that Nigeria may flourish for generations to come.

May the Federal Republic of Nigeria continue to advance in stability and prosperity, for the benefit of all citizens, and may Almighty God bless our nation with continued wisdom and virtue.

Happy Independence Day! 🇳🇬

#NigeriaAt65
#IndependenceDay
#HealthAndWellbeing
#MNCH #WASH
#WASHWednesday 
#WellbeingForAll ...

As the 80th @UnitedNations General Assembly High-Level Week unfolded in New York, I was pleased to attend the 7 Generations Africa & @RockefellerPhilanthropy Advisors Reception, highlighting the growing evolution of African family offices as catalysts for prosperity, unity, and tangible transformative impact through structured philanthropy across the continent.

Guided by the Rockefeller tradition of philanthropy in service of justice and wellbeing, and inspired by 7 Generations Africa’s vision of aligning family capital and values for lasting legacies, the evening offered a compelling glimpse of how African families can shape the future together.

It was wonderful to hear my dearly respected and amiable Agbaoye, High Chief Kola Karim, Chairman of @ShorelineNaturalResources, in the Building an African Superstructure for Wealth, Unity, and Positive Impact session, sharing his candid insights on how enterprise and collaboration can be harnessed for resilience, health, and shared educational opportunity, ensuring that prosperity is passed forward with purpose.

This gathering affirmed the growing role of African family offices in shaping a modern future of economic resilience, equitable education, and holistic wellbeing, a future that is inclusive, sustainable, and shared across generations.

#UNGA80 #7GenerationsAfrica #RockefellerPhilanthropyAdvisors #AfricanPhilanthropy #EveryGeneration #GivingTuesday
#WellbeingForAll ...

On this first #MaternalMonday following a busy @UnitedNations General Assembly High-Level Week, I am pleased to share a special moment from last week, when I joined Isra Chaker @IsraSpeaks, CEO of @EveryPregnancy, to record an episode of the Born Into podcast.

We explored my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation’s 20+ year journey, from frontline programming to global advocacy, and how our missions converge on one truth, that every pregnancy matters, for every woman, every child, every family, and every community.

It was inspiring to align with Every Pregnancy, which is building a global movement to ensure that no pregnancy is invisible, that every mother receives respectful, evidence-based care, and that the health of women and newborns is upheld as a shared priority. I welcome the new voices and activators that this initiative is bringing forward, as together we advance momentum for maternal health everywhere.

I look forward to sharing our conversation very soon.

#UNGA80
#BornIntoPodcast
#EveryPregnancyMatters
#WellbeingForAll ...

On this @WHO World Heart Day 2025, themed Don’t Miss a Beat, I reflect on the powerful dialogues convened during the 80th @UnitedNations General Assembly High-Level Week.

Across our discussions on self-care with the Global Self-Care Federation, the Women’s Health Impact Tracking Platform @McKinseyHealthInstitute at the @WorldEconomicForum, and the Spotlight on Menopause with @UNFPA and @BayerOfficial, a clear and connected message emerged, women’s cardiovascular health must be safeguarded across the entire life course.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, claiming more than 8 million lives annually, yet remains under-recognised and under-diagnosed. Evidence presented highlights that self-care practices reduce risks of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, empowering women to take preventive action through health literacy, access to safe products, and community support. The #WEF #WHIT data further revealed that closing the women’s health gap could generate up to $1 trillion in global economic returns annually by 2040, with ischaemic heart disease and menopause identified as two of the largest unmet needs.

Menopause, far from being a peripheral issue, is a cardiovascular turning point. Declining oestrogen accelerates cardiometabolic risk, and untreated menopausal symptoms heighten the likelihood of chronic disease in later life. With over 1.2 billion women projected to be postmenopausal by 2030, integrating menopause into cardiovascular strategies and self-care frameworks is essential for both prevention and equity.

On this World Heart Day, let us pledge to continue connecting these strands into one urgent commitment, to scale evidence-based self-care, embed menopause into prevention and policy, and hold ourselves accountable through rigorous tracking of outcomes. Only then can we ensure that women everywhere live not only longer lives, but healthier ones, without missing a beat.

#WorldHeartDay
#DontMissABeat
#WomensHeartHealth
#SelfCare #MenopauseMatters
#WellbeingForAll ...

It was a profound honour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of @MaternityFoundation, founded on the conviction that “it should not cost life to give life” and guided by the mission to ensure safer childbirths for women and newborns everywhere, on the margins of #UNGA80.

Today, Maternity Foundation has empowered more than 500,000 health professionals across Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and beyond. Its pioneering Safe Delivery App, developed in collaboration with academic partners and adapted by ministries of health worldwide, has transformed midwifery training and maternal outcomes, including in Nigeria, where @WellbeingAfrica has proudly supported its integration.

I warmly congratulate CEO Anna Frellsen, Dr Franka Cadee, and the entire team for two decades of innovation and impact. As #WBFA and Maternity Foundation both enter our third decades, we reaffirm our shared commitment to a future where safe childbirth is not an aspiration, but a universal reality.

#Midwifery 
#MaternalHealth 
#WellbeingForAll ...

On the sidelines of #UNGA80, I was pleased to attend the launch of the Resilient Cities, Reimagining Health - Case for Action, at the @YaleClubNYC, convened by the Resilient Cities Network, the Sustainable Markets Initiative, @ThisIsReckitt, and the Yale School of Public Health @YaleSPH. 

This important initiative, already active in 29 cities across 19 countries, including Lagos, Nigeria, highlights the evidence that climate action is health action. By addressing climate-related health risks through proven interventions, cities can reduce emissions, improve equity, and strengthen the resilience of health systems worldwide; themes further explored during a productive bilateral meeting with Rob Sobhani.

My @WellbeingAfrica Foundation and I welcome this global framework and the opportunity to contribute to advancing climate and health solutions that prioritise prevention, resilience, and justice, particularly for vulnerable urban populations in the Global South. 

It was a vibrant afternoon at the Yale Club, where I was also delighted to join the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation gathering, graced by the presence of Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, as Nigeria advances its vision of cultivating world-class scholars to strengthen the nation’s future.

#ClimateWeekNYC 
#WellbeingForAll ...

At the @UNICEF Headquarters in New York City, during the @UnitedNations General Assembly High-Level Week, I met with Ann Thomas, Senior Advisor for Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF, to deepen collaboration on accelerating safe water, sanitation, and hygiene outcomes in schools and health facilities across Nigeria. 

I shared evidence and learnings from my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation’s WASH portfolio, including our Adolescent Skills and Drills Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education programme, which delivers age-appropriate #PSHE and #WASH education with a strong emphasis on menstrual hygiene management, respectful relationships, nutrition, and girls’ rights. 

Our discussion aligned these efforts with UNICEF’s WASH in Institutions Agenda, which highlights that quality education and child survival depend on safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene in schools, and that WASH services must be inclusive and responsive to the needs of girls and children with disabilities.

Together, with Cecilia Scharp, Director of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF, we reflected on opportunities to harness UNICEF’s global guidance to scale our impact and further strengthen quality, monitoring, and accountability across the schools, communities and healthcare facilities where WBFA operates, ensuring even greater outcomes for those we serve. 

#PartnershipsForImpact 
#WellbeingForAll ...

During the @UnitedNations General Assembly High-Level Week, I was honoured to participate in the Last Mile Lunch: Implementation for Impact on Rare Diseases, Brain and NCDs hosted by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations @SwissMissionNYC. 

Building upon the Consensus Framework: The Last Mile Action Agenda launched at the United Nations, our dialogue focused on turning commitment into practice across three imperatives, accelerating equitable early detection, strengthening partnerships for access through education and capacity building, and mobilising sustainable financing.

In my intervention, I spoke as the Inaugural Global Health Ambassador of the @WHOFoundation, from an Equity and Access lens, drawing on my service as an @AstraZeneca Global Breast Cancer Care Council Member, where our development of the Breast Cancer Care Quality Index #BCCQI provides a vital framework to embed patient-centred standards across the continuum of care, and as Founder-President of the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation where our implementation demonstrates that innovation endures only when anchored in system readiness and lived realities.

As I emphasised, effective implementation must be assessed through universality of reach, equity in timely access, the integration of patient navigation within care pathways, and the assurance of consistent quality standards across all health system contexts, whether urban or rural. 

Reflections from distinguished colleagues, including Nobel Laureate Harold E. Varmus, former Director of the U.S. @NationalCancerInstitute, highlighted both the scientific progress made possible through sustained collaboration and the continued responsibility to ensure that such progress is shared universally.

I thank H.E. Pascale Baeriswyl, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York, as the luncheon reaffirmed that closing the last mile demands reimagined public–private partnerships, which are not siloed or disconnected from health system realities, but grounded in equity, system readiness, and the experiences of patients. 

#UNGA80
#LastMileHealth
#EquityInAccess
#PatientNavigation
#PublicPrivatePartn ...

I was delighted to honour the invitation of our valued @WellbeingAfrica Foundation Social Impact Partner @ThisIsReckitt with CEO Kris Licht to share my views as a Speaker on the roundtable "Catalysing Systemic Change: Scaling Innovation in Health & Hygiene" during the @UnitedNations General Assembly High-Level Week.

Co-Hosted by Serena Williams of @Serena.Ventures, and Jacqueline Novogratz of @AcumenOrg, and co-convened with @GoalsHouse and the Health Innovation Exchange #HEIx, our discussions were expertly moderated by @David.Shukman, with featured guests including Honourable Pemmy Majodina of the South African Government.

I commend the launch of Reckitt Catalyst, a five-year, £10 million commitment partnering with @SerenaWilliams as their first Entrepreneur-in-Residence, to support up to 200 women and underrepresented founders across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The initiative recognises that although women-led start-ups deliver 35% better returns and create six times more jobs than male-led companies, they continue to receive only 2% of global venture capital.

With a proven track record of supporting 60 entrepreneurs across 13 countries since 2020, helping unlock access to health, clean water, and sanitation for one million people, and impacting seven million people in 40 countries in 2023 alone, including in Nigeria through our #WBFA @DettolNigeria Hygiene Quest Programme, Reckitt has established deep expertise in scaling grassroots health and hygiene innovations through partnerships such as ours, and with organisations such as @YunusSocialBusiness, where I serve as a Grand Global Jury Member for the Fight for Access Accelerator Nigeria.

At this pivotal convening, the message was clear, the solutions exist, and the path to scale lies in collective will, catalytic financing, and mentorship that recognises both entrepreneurial vision and maternal insight as central to global progress.

#UNGA80
#WellbeingForAll ...

Taking place during the @UnitedNations General Assembly High-Level Week, I was honoured to serve as a panelist for the session Transforming Healthcare Education through AI-Enabled Solutions, convened by @Philips, at the UN @ScienceSummit.

It was a privilege to join my distinguished colleagues Dr Nidhi Leekha of the Aga Khan University @AKUGlobal, Ari Moskowitz of the @GatesFoundation, Desta Lakew of @AmrefHealthAfrica, and Matt Rielly of Philips in person, alongside the valued online contributions of Professor Marleen Temmerman of the Aga Khan University and Dr Claude Muvunyi of the @RBCRwanda Biomedical Centre. 

AI-enabled ultrasound has demonstrated the ability to reduce midwife training periods from months to days, expand screening capacity for high-risk pregnancies, and empower frontline providers with real-time diagnostic guidance. Within the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation’s own programmes, this approach has enabled midwives in Nigeria to deliver improved antenatal screening to more than 96,000 women in a single year through the support of @GEHealthcare and their Vscan technology, combined with structured training and system strengthening, which translates directly into lives saved.

As Philips advances its pledge to improve 2.5 billion lives annually by 2030, including 400 million in underserved communities, and as the Gates Foundation continues to catalyse equitable maternal and newborn health innovation, my #WBFA reaffirms its commitment to championing AI solutions not as temporary pilots but as standards of care. For these tools to realise their full promise, they must be embedded within universal health coverage, underpinned by harmonised regulation, and trusted in the capable hands of midwives and nurses who stand at the frontlines of care.

#UNGA80 
#FrontlineFriday 
#WellbeingForAll ...

During the 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, I was deeply encouraged by the convening at #UNHQ of the third Annual Global Leaders Network event, Recommitting to Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health and Rights: A Call to Action for Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development. Convened under the leadership of His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, as Chair of the GLN, and supported by the @WHO Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health #PMNCH, this distinguished gathering reaffirmed that the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents are not only matters of social progress, but the very foundation of peace, security, and sustainable development.

I also warmly recognise the presence and commitment of His Excellency President William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency President Duma Gideon Boko, President of the Republic of Botswana, and His Excellency Muhammad B.S. Jallow, Vice President of Gambia. Their united voices highlighted Africa’s determination to place women, children, and adolescents at the heart of the global agenda.

Further deliberations highlighted that health and security are inseparable, and in fragile and humanitarian settings, women and children bear the greatest burdens of instability. In this context, the recognition of vectors and vector-borne diseases, from malaria to dengue, was particularly significant. These threats, which disproportionately endanger women and children, must be addressed through integrated strategies that strengthen health systems, reinforce environmental management, and empower communities.

As Founder-President of the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, I stand with the Global Leaders Network and PMNCH in affirming that no woman, child, or adolescent should be left behind. Our shared future depends upon sustained high-level engagement, measurable commitments, and the translation of global pledges into tangible action.

@pmnch_insta
@whatyoungpeoplewant_

#UNGA80
#AfricaLeads
#WellbeingForAll ...

I was honoured to meet with Ms Kelly T. Clements, @UnitedNations Deputy High Commissioner for @Refugees, at UNHCR’s New York Headquarters for a bilateral discussion during #UNGA80 on deepening practical cooperation in support of women, children, and families affected by displacement. 

We are encouraged by the impact of my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation and #UNHCR, including our work with @UNHCR_Nigeria and Red Cross @ICRC to support refugee mothers through respectful antenatal, postnatal, and early childhood care delivered by our #WBFA trained midwives. Through our Hope Away From Home partnership in Cross River State, at the Adagom and Ukende Refugee Settlements, and within surrounding host communities, we have sustained #MamaCare360 classes, home visits, community health engagement, and systems support. 

I was also pleased to extend goodwill to our colleagues at USA for UNHCR, and I warmly applaud the thoughtful leadership of Ms Jessica de Rothschild, whose convening of the Women in Philanthropy gathering has fostered a space for generous exchange, mutual inspiration, and strategic foresight, while advancing the Building Better Futures campaign to provide 1,000 university scholarships for refugee women. 

I look forward to scaling what works, from reinforcing midwifery-led care in displacement settings to broadening community-based education for mothers and adolescents, while also mobilising greater private-sector investment for refugee resilience and digital inclusion, and ensuring that all efforts remain anchored in evidence, aligned with national priorities, and measured in their impact through the close coordination of our teams. 

#HopeAwayFromHome 
#PartnershipsInAction 
#WellbeingForAll ...

It was my privilege to participate in the @StopTB Partnership roundtable at @ConcordiaSummit during #UNGA80, alongside leaders from @Siemens.Healthineers, @PartnersInHealth, @GaviAlliance, the @UNFoundation, @HealthCapAfrica, @Policy.Wisdom, @VantiveHealth, APL Ventures, and the @WorldBank Group. 

In a world where more than ten million people develop active tuberculosis each year, and where 1.25 million lives are lost annually to a preventable and curable disease, I am encouraged to midwife, nurse and nurture novel collaborative impact approaches that embrace the innovation, investment, and partnerships that can truly transform outcomes.

Our deliberations highlighted that artificial intelligence and digital health can accelerate case detection, that innovative financing can make care accessible, and that equitable public–private partnerships can ensure communities are not left behind. 

#Concordia25 
#SharedPurpose 
#PublicPrivatePartnership
#WellbeingForAll ...

During #UNGA80, I was deeply honoured, in my capacity as Global Ambassador of the @WHOFoundation, to attend the AI for Health Resilience: Innovation in Emergency Preparedness convening at @GoalsHouse, hosted by the @WHO Foundation, Firuza Foundation, Foundation S, @Merck, @PfizerInc, and @ServiceNow.

It was a privilege to meet with Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa @WHO_Africa, and to engage with esteemed colleagues in reflecting on how the integration of climate forecasting with resilient health systems can safeguard lives and ensure that no community is left behind.

#HealthForAll 
#WellbeingForAll ...