118 Adamawa Plaza

Central Business District

(CBD), Abuja, Nigeria

www.afrida.org.ng
+234 803 702 5683
Health environment Innovation
[email protected]
Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions in the world are experiencing significant changes:
epidemiological shifts in disease spectrum; new emerging pathogens like noroviruses, Ebola,
and COVID-19; socioeconomic uncertainty; massive population growth; and climate change
impact.  To adapt to these changes, we need targeted, evidence-based, and innovative
responses. 

AFRIDA works across Sub-Saharan Africa with governments, the private sector, and both
formal and informal community groups to promote resilience in the face of change for the
region’s most vulnerable populations. Our programs target women, children, and the
marginalized and hard-to-reach communities, and our toolbox includes a multitude of
approaches: from AI-driven technology solutions to in-person grassroots education; from
evidence-based health programs to the deployment of innovative clean energy
interventions; from community empowerment activities to income-generating opportunities.

Our Organization

AFRIDA was founded in 2005 by a diverse group of experienced health and environmental
experts with a combined service of 120 years in government and community structures. It is
a Non-Governmental Organization registered in Nigeria to provide innovative solutions to
health, environmental and developmental challenges to save lives and improve the quality of
life in Nigeria and other ECOWAS Countries. 

AFRIDA collaborates with governments at different levels – Local, State and Federal – and
works through formal and non-formal community groups to deliver its health and
environmental programs.  We work in remote and hard-to-reach places and conflict areas,
especially the North East, North West, and Niger Delta regions of Nigeria, which face a
myriad of challenges in healthcare, human capacity development and environmental issues.

AFRIDA also teams up with various private sector stakeholders to deliver its services, both as
a means of sustainability and in order to reach the 60% of Nigerians who get healthcare from
the Private Sector.  

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Our Values

Passion:

We are passionate about saving lives and improving the quality of life of marginalized and
vulnerable communities.

Collaboration:

We work with governments at different levels -local, state, and federal, private sector and
through formal and non-formal organizations in communities, as we believe that working with
these structures is important to reach targeted groups. We believe that working with non-
formal community structures is important for reach.

Trust: We work with partners and employees in a transparent manner to uphold the best
governance and management policies and ensure accountability for resources.

Diversity: We support gender integration and inclusion of all races irrespective of sexual
orientation. We promote, educate and protect the rights and dignity of community groups
that we work with, especially the marginalized, children and women. We promote equity and
recruit staff irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, and race.

Clean Environment: We believe in evidence-based clean solutions to solve environmental

issues, and that working in the nexus of climate change and health will save lives and reduce
disease burden in affected communities 

Data Driven: We believe in collecting and using the evidence from data to advance health
and environmental solutions.

Innovation: We are driven by change and leverage crosscutting practices, expertise and
processes within our organization to deliver quality work.

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Mission

To save lives through innovative solutions for improved healthcare management systems in

response to the emerging nexus between health and the environment in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Vision

To support effective healthcare delivery ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa that is adapted to

the changing economic, health and climate changes impact.

Our Approach

In the AFRIDA approach, the people come first. We reach our target groups by collaborating

with governments, the private sector and both formal and non-formal local leadership in the

communities. We pay particular attention to hard-to-reach communities, women and

children and marginalized communities, including areas affected by conflict and climate

change.  Rather than taking a one-size-fits all approach to the work, we take care to map

out the non-formal community structures and influencers everywhere we work, and we pay

attention to building the capacity of these partners to enhance the sustainability and

relevance of our interventions.

Our programs are data-driven. We conduct assessments and analyze the results along with

any other available sources of data together with the community and government. We view

this as a crucial component of our work, establishing a learning curve that guides us to make

any necessary program adjustment and to better measure our impact.

 We have a relentless drive to impact change. We look for innovative and creative ways of

doing things with a sense of urgency, especially in relation to climate change and

healthcare.

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Where we Work

Kano Kaduna Sokoto Bornu Gombe Nasarawa Bauchi Yobe

Jigawa Zamfara Adamawa Katsina Niger Abuja-FCT

Lagos Ogun Imo Bayelsa Rivers Enugu Cross Rivers Akwa Ibon

Delta Ekiti

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Our Board and Advisers

Prof. Nimi Dimkpa Briggs is an Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He

served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt twice (1995-1996 and

2000-2005), former Chairman Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities

and the Chairman of the Board of the National Hospitals. Between 2007 and 2008, Pro-

Chancellor Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike.

Prof. Nimi’s strong record of success in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and

contributions to National Development and the treatment of patients with Vesico-

Vaginal Fistula (VVF) led to pioneering the campaign for Safe Motherhood in Northern

Nigeria, and appointment as a member of a 10 persons strategy advisory committee

(STRADVCOM) to support the National Universities Commission in its determination to

urgently revitalize the Nigerian Universities Systems.

Mira Mehta is co-founder and CEO of Tomato Jos – a fully integrated farming and

processing agribusiness in Northern Nigeria that produces tomato paste and other

agricultural products for the domestic market. Before founding Tomato Jos, Miss Mehta

worked in the financial services and healthcare sectors in New York and Nigeria,

respectively, where she gained valuable technical skills,developed an empathetic

worldview, and built a strong network that would empower her to launch a business at

the base of the pyramid. She is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business

School and has lived in Nigeria since 2008.

Dr. Yemi Cardoso is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Citibank Nigeria, and a

financial and development expert with over thirty years of experience in the private,

public and not-for-profit sectors. His private sector experience includes an illustrious

career with Citibank, Chase and Citizens International Bank. In 1999 upon return to

civilian democratic rule, Yemi was appointed the first commissioner/ cabinet member

for economic planning and budget for Lagos state. In this capacity, he wrote and

monitored the implementation of the blueprint which catalysed economic development

in the world’s sixth-largest megacity.

Prince Aghatise Erediauwa holds a B.Sc. (Hons ) degree in Economics and Computer

Science from the State University of New York, a degree in Law and an MBA

 
from Lagos Business School/IESE, Barcelona, Spain. Prince Erediauwa served as

Commissioner for Finance in Edo State and also worked with  

The Nigerian Stock

Exchange as General Manager where he helped formulate many capital market policies.

He had previously worked as Associate Counsel with the Law Firm of Akin Sikuade

(SAN) in Lagos. He, however, began his working career as a Systems Analyst in the

United States of America with the giant sporting e quipment manufacturer, Champion

Products, Inc.

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Our Board and Advisers

Salma Abubakar Mijinyawa is a registered midwife and public health nurse with over 20

years of experience. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and a master’s degree in

public health. Throughout her career, Salma has held various leadership positions, such

as a state team leader for the DFID-funded Project Women 4 Health where she

coordinated the implementation of state-wide activities.She has also served as a

learning manager, setting up a human resource pool for the health learning hub at

Bayero University, Kano. Most recently, she served as the Deputy National Program

Manager where she was responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of

various programs and initiatives across 6 states and overseeing all technical activities of

the organization. Her expertise in public health has made a significant positive impact in

the communities where she worked with improved health outcomes.

Garba Abdul has over twenty-five years of experience in providing Child Development,

Maternal and Neonatal Health services with robust skills in program design,

implementation and monitoring and evaluation. Garba provided leadership for the Child

Development and Grant Programme; an over GBP 69 million, DFID grant being

implemented by Save the Children international. Subsequently, he led Clinton Health

Access Initiative efforts in strengthening routine immunization and introduction of new

vaccines in Nigeria, providing strategic direction and management support to Federal

and State governments. Similarly, he was Lead COVID-19 Consultant for the Bill Gate

grant to Clinton Health Access Initiative, and Community Engagement Consultant -

Maternal Neonatal Child Health and Family Planning in Kano State. He holds a

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Sciences from Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences (Latrobe

University) and a Master’s degree in Health Planning from Monash University,

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Public Health from

Walden University, Baltimore. He is a member of the American Public Health Association

and a Fellow College of Nursing, Australia. 

Dr. Raphael Naale is the Director of Special Duties (Health) at Bori Polytechnic, Rivers

State.  He is a Member of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), United Kingdom,

Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and a fellow of the Institute of Public Administration

of Nigeria. In 2016, he received John Griffith’s Prize for Overall Distinction in the MPH-I

Programme, at the University of Leeds where he graduated with an overall distinction

grade. The desire to work in a tertiary education institution strengthened his resolve to

leave the Rivers State Ministry of Health and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital,

having started his career as a Medical Officer, and actively involved in both

administrative and clinical services with rotational posting through secondary health

facilities in the state, especially in Accident and Emergency Units and Surgery

departments across Rivers State.

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AFRIDA Management Staff

Executive Director

Dr. Nnanna Victor Onyekwere    MBBCH, MPH, FWACP, FNIM

Dr Nnanna is a public health physician with over 30 years of combined experience in

the public and private sectors. He was the former Director of Public Health, Rivers State

Ministry of Health and former Provost, Rivers State College of Health Science and

Technology. He currently leads AFRIDA’s management team towards achieving its vision

of providing an effective healthcare delivery ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa adapted

to changing economic, health and climate change impact.

 Director, Community Development Programme

Dr Lawretta  Adaobi  BSc, MSc, PhD Sociology

Dr Lawretta is a Medical Sociologist and Anthropologist. She received her earlier

training as a Nurse and Midwife and went on to acquire a doctorate degree in Sociology

with a particular interest in clinical sociology and macro practice social works.  She has

over 20 years of teaching experience from delivering lectures on maternal and child

health care services in Schools of Nursing across Nigeria, Rivers State College of

Health Science and Technology and Rivers State University in Nigeria.

Lead, Legal & Compliance

Chinyere Onyewotu  LLB Law

Chinyere Is a graduate of the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria and leads

AFRIDA’s legal services, where she supports AFRIDA’s corporate service delivery in

relation to the evaluation of prospective projects and partners, business process

outsourcing and fulfillment services, information and tracking of delivery schedules,

and processing of transactions, operational assistance, and the formulation of

organizational development policies and other operational concerns.

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AFRIDA Management Staff

 Lead, Research & Innovation

JohnBosco Ezenwa  BSc, MSc. Statistics

JohnBosco has a decade of experience in providing strategic and specialized

programmatic expertise in areas of public health intervention, community development

and the environment. He leads relationship building and performance management for

projects in collaboration with governments and the private sector, including formal and

non-formal organizational community structures to build local and national strategic

partnerships, and programming for impact-driven changes that strengthen healthcare

systems and improve the lives of community groups, particularly where healthcare

intersects with the environment.

Project Manager

Tajuddeen Maaruf  Bai 

BSc., MPA Public Policy and Administration, PMP

Tajuddeen has 11 years of experience in Project management and contributing to the

ambitions and management of organizational project delivery, identifying and mitigating

potential project risks, and leading AFRIDA’s Project Management Office (PMO),

including organizational change management, in-field community sensitization,

awareness campaigns, community dialogue and stakeholder engagement at all levels. 

He has managed various projects notably, Women Development and Empowerment of

Nigeria (SWODEN), Youth Access Project funded by UKAID and other community-

based health management information system (CBHMIS) projects.

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Our Projects

Vaccines & Immunization

Community-Based Assessment of low and high-

performing LGAs in Routine Immunization uptake

across 40 Local Government Areas in Lagos, Rivers and

Niger States with over 400 stakeholders and 1200

women and caregivers, aimed at improving routine

immunization uptake by children U-5 by understanding

barriers and factors that promote uptake from

stakeholders in low and high performing LGAs in the

recipient states

Assessment of coverage categorization-specific wastage

rate and potential determinate of vaccines wastage in

Nigeria to generate data on vaccines wastage rate for

efficient vaccine forecasting in Nigeria, a measure of

state category-specific wastage rates, and provide for a

better understanding of the optimal vial presentation in

Lagos, Rivers, Imo, Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Niger,

Bauchi, Taraba, Kano Kebbi, Zamfara, Jigawa, Sokoto

States.

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Our Projects

HIV

Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) of HIV infection as part of

maternal and child health service package integrated into

Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV

(PMTCT) interventions. AFRIDA provided support to the

HIV Unit of the Ministry of Health in partnership with

Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to provide access to

sourcing DBS kits, support with sample transport and

results return, including technical support to the health

care workers on the frontline ensuring that early initiation

of treatment commences once HIV Diagnosis is made.

Our efforts helped to identify HIV-positive infants and

ensure that they are placed on life-saving ARVs – these

efforts led to a 3-fold increase of positive infants initiated

early on treatment.

Data

Health facilities baseline assessment using a standardized

checklist, Survey CTO, and android mobile phones in

selected facilities at both primary and secondary health

care levels in the states of Rivers, Bauchi, Bornu, Gombe,

Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto and Yobe states,

with demonstrated familiarity with the relevant and

strategic stakeholders, environment and cultures in the

states

Program impact evaluation and Data Quality Assessment

of increasing access to Sexual Reproductive, Maternal,

Newborn and Child Health Services in Niger, Lagos,

Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kano and Rivers states.

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Our Projects

Health Financing

State-level consensus building meetings on Health

Financing Capacity building models in 8 States of Ekiti,

Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Kano, Kaduna and Yobe

States.

Data

Quarterly data quality assessment, monitoring and

evaluation services for the Accelerating Nutrition Results

in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project for the Provision of a Basic

Package of Nutrition Services in 18 LGAs of Kano State.

Sexual and Reproductive

Health

Assessment of Women's preference in accessing cervical

cancer screening and treatment services in Lagos state in

partnership with Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)

and Complete Health Impact Development Alliance.

Capacity Development

Facilitated the training of trainers for 68 Biomedical

Engineers from across Nigeria, including the cascading of

the BMEs training in other states across the 6 geopolitical

zones of the country

Training of 344 Biomedical Engineers/ Technicians on

oxygen equipment inventory management and field

assessments of Primary, Secondary and tertiary health

facilities and oxygen Pressure Swing Adsorption plants

(PSAs) across the 8 states of Bauchi, Bornu, Gombe,

Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, and Yobe states.

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Our Projects

Capacity Development

Recruitment and training of 400 frontline healthcare

workers in Rivers, Cross River, Enugu and Niger states on

Case management and IPC on COVID-19.

Sexual and Reproductive

Health

AFRIDA in consortium with Helium Health and Solina

Centre for International Development and Research

(SCIDaR) through MSD for Mothers support the Federal

Government of Nigeria (FGoN) and the three states of

Kano, Delta and Lagos to improve the quality of maternal

care, reduce maternal mortality and ultimately strengthen

systems for safer childbirth through the “FOR M(om)

Project.

Environment

Launch and scale-up of operational nature-based carbon-

sequestration green ventures for startups in clean

technology and agricultural chain across in Rivers State.

Capacity Development

Training and deployment of the OpenLMIS RI/SA module

to the National, Zonal, State Satellite and LGA levels of the

immunization supply chain in the 36 States of Nigeria

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Our Projects

Contact Us

Suite 118 Adamawa Plaza 

Central Business District (CBD)

Abuja, FCT

Nigeria

www.afrida.org.ng

[email protected]

+234 803 702 5683

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