AMP Health appoints Dr Shola Dele-Olowu as its first West Africa Programme Manager
We are excited to announce the appointment of Dr Shola Dele-Olowu as our first West Africa Programme Manager. With Shola’s appointment we are proud to have a base in West Africa, which marks a critical milestone in the growth of AMP Health. This expansion means we now have dedicated support staff working in East, West and Southern Africa, enhancing our capacity to support our embedded Management Partners.
In her new role, Shola will play a crucial part in supporting our work in West Africa and collaborating with the AMP Global team to identify opportunities for new partnerships in the region.
Shola is well placed to champion this role, not just because she is so passionate about it, but also thanks to her wealth of expertise. She has a background as a medical doctor in the development sector, including her work for Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the World Bank, and a proven track record as an AMP Health Management Partner for the Country Leadership Platform (CLP) team in Nigeria.
“I’m thrilled to join AMP as its first West African Programme Manager. The opportunity to establish a base in West Africa is incredibly meaningful to me, as someone who wholeheartedly believes in AMP Health’s approach of providing our partner teams with a broad set of techniques and tools that they can adapt to their own contexts to improve leadership and management. Being part of this endeavour allows me to work closely with the team to champion our vision throughout the region.”
Building robust relationships with local partners and stakeholders is a priority for Shola. She believes that fostering collaboration is essential to effectively tackle the unique challenges faced by the region and contribute to strengthening healthcare systems.
Shola’s on-the-ground experience as a Management Partner has played a pivotal role in shaping her current position, equipping her with practical insights and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in healthcare leadership.
Reflecting on her experience with the CLP in Nigeria, she describes it as both a great learning opportunity and a humbling experience. Working closely with a diverse group of health system leaders, she witnessed their remarkable ability to navigate complex environments with limited resources.
“Throughout my journey, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work across various organisations and levels of the health system,” she said. “Each step has shaped me and fueled my passion for making a genuine difference in healthcare. As I delved deeper into the complexities of the healthcare field, I came to share a belief with our Director that resonated profoundly with me - the realisation that policies alone cannot bring about transformative change, it takes committed leaders with a clear vision to bring these policies to life.”
Robert Newman, Executive Director at AMP Health, added, “Shola's appointment underscores our dedication to expanding our presence in West Africa, a region of immense significance to the continent's continued development.
“By establishing a base in this vibrant and dynamic part of Africa, we can better support our existing partnerships and identify additional opportunities to contribute to strengthening public sector leadership and management capacity in the region."
The rising burden of non-communicable diseases and the looming threat of outbreaks and epidemics such as Ebola pose a serious risk to the public health development of the region. Despite this, West Africa has one of the fastest growing populations in Africa, positioning the region as a vital player in the development story of the continent and the world.
Since 2016, we have been actively engaged in West Africa, which began with our first partnership with the Sierra Leone community health team. Since then, we have expanded our efforts to include Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria and Togo. We are excited to see how this progresses with Shola on board in this capacity.