Some readers may not know you. Please share a bit about your background, your interest in public health, your previous academic and work experience, any career highlights or awards so far, or anything else you want to share about yourself.
Nationality: Sierra Leone x Canada
Academic background: International development studies, management, leadership, global health policy
About me: I am a Msc. in Global Health Policy student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Senior Project Manager, Policy and Advocacy at Pandemic Action Network.
My life has been one of oscillation, learning over and over again how inequitable access to healthcare is. I was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone at the start of an 11-year conflict. This, and the subsequent 30 years of relocation, which saw my family living in Zambia, Sudan, England, Ethiopia, Yemen, America, Italy, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Canada, showed me first-hand how national and international health policies have the power to reinforce our global interconnectedness or exacerbate systemic inequalities. My life experiences and curiosity in the why and how of health data/research, policy making, service delivery, access, and the role of communities continue to drive my work.
In 2014, I returned to my home country to join the frontlines of the Ebola response. I started by working through various channels, including non-profits and local networks. I founded the Survivor Dream Project (SDP) — a local, feminist-centred, and advocacy-driven project that provided psychosocial, educational, and entrepreneurial support to 25 female Ebola survivors with an outreach of over 200 women and girls. Additionally, SDP sought to address the yawning gap in access to health delivery services for women. Our team worked to develop gender policy briefs to inform national post-Ebola recovery efforts and amplify the voices of survivors.
Expanding my work globally, I oversaw an entirely youth-led organization, where I successfully fostered and leveraged multi-sectoral partnerships to increase young people’s access to and participation in high-level, reproductive health decision-making spaces. I continued to leverage my advocacy skills, working in partnership to bridge national and global actions in a coordinated response to the pandemic with Canadian civil society groups.
My life experiences and curiosity in the why and how of health data/research, policy making, service delivery, access and the role of communities continues to drive my work.
This year’s theme for the Youth Pre-Conference is “Youth Leadership for a safer and healthier Africa” and the theme for the Conference for Public Health in Africa is “Breaking Barriers: Repositioning Africa in the Global Health Architecture.” What do these themes mean to you?
YPC Theme: By 2030, young Africans are expected to make up 42% of the world's youth and account for 75% of those under age 35 in Africa. Youth leadership for a safer and healthier Africa means investing in current and emerging young leaders to build a cadre of public health researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and more for the continent to achieve the African Union 2063 vision and Africa CDC’s New Public Health Order (NPHO).
CPHIA Theme: I find the CPHIA theme to be bold, with the rise of technology and increased youth engagement in key health spaces the theme allows us to collectively drive solutions for the continent and bring our unified voice to the global health architecture. We are breaking barriers, breaking silos, and embracing our cultural diversity to build resilient health systems in the continent.
Overall, how was the experience, especially as you were selected to attend YPC and only a limited number of spaces are available for youth? It is a very competitive and exciting opportunity!
It was such an honor to represent Sierra Leone and join 250 young leaders (out of the 3200+ youths that applied) across the continent and in the diaspora at the Africa CDC Youth Pre-Conference. It was a great and dynamic experience, from the expert panel discussions, keynote addresses, thematic breakout groups and workshopping of the 5 pillars of the NPHO, a lot was accomplished in 2 days! As participants there were many opportunities to engage, ask questions and network.
What are some of the highlights from the Youth Pre-Conference and CPHIA?
Hearing from various role models in the continent — starting with the opening ceremony keynote address by H.E. Monica Geingos, First Lady of the Republic of Namibia — who encouraged young people to take up space and reminded us that health is political.
2. Watching Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General receive the Lifetime Achievement in Public Health award, in recognition of his commitment to the service & wellbeing of communities across the world.
3. Learning and being inspired by the sessions and side events, glad to see concrete action-able takeaways.
4. Connecting with people, since the pandemic this is the first conference at this scale I have attended, it was great to see people off Zoom and meet new people doing amazing things in the continent.
Was there any event or something that was said that stood out to you?
Youth engagement and leadership throughout the conference.
The keynote address at the YPC by H.E. Monica Geingos, First Lady of the Republic of Namibia.
Track 4 which focused on women’s health issues.
The exhibition booths showcased a range of organizations and work being done on the continent.
What are some of your most memorable moments from the conferences?
Speaking truth to power — it was great to have bold speakers who really broke barriers.
Meeting people in person and connecting.
Moving beyond the issues — really working to think through solutions and ways forward to reposition Africa in the global health architecture.
In addition to all the events you attended, I am sure you made a lot of connections. Tell me more about the networking experience at the events.
A lot happened during YPC and CPHIA, but there was still time to network with people I already knew (via Zoom) and new folks. Catching people before/after an event or in the hallway, you don’t always get much time to chat, it’s important to introduce yourself, connect on the work you do or ask a question to learn more about what they do, and find ways to stay connected via LinkedIn, email or at another session.
What three words would you use to describe YPC.
Changemakers, Community, Experts!
Is there anything else you want to share about the conference or your experience?
If you are interested in public health in Africa — this is the space you need to be, CPHIA 2024 will be held in Morocco, so start making plans to get involved!
Where can people stay connected with you?
LinkedIn: Aminata Wurie