Dr. Ayoade Alakija is a medical doctor, humanitarian leader and expert in pandemic preparedness, global health security, and diplomacy. Dr Alakija is Co-Chair of the G7 Impact Investment Initiative in Global Health (Triple I); Chair of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) Board; WHO Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator); Chair of the African Union’s African Vaccine Delivery Alliance/Africa Countermeasures and Readiness Platform.

Previously, as Chief Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Dr. Alakija led the integrated humanitarian response and spearheaded the Oslo Humanitarian Conference for Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, mobilizing resources for some of the world’s most under-recognized humanitarian crises. She also founded the Emergency Coordination Centre in Nigeria, promoting the rights of women and girls in education and health.

Through her work, Dr. Alakija has been a leading voice calling for the urgent reimagining of how the globe should respond more consciously to inequities in society and particularly, in access to healthcare as exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.