People Directory

Our team is the heartbeat of our collaborative efforts, comprising diverse experts from various fields. Each member brings unique skills and perspectives, uniting to drive innovation and impact in the health sector. Together, we are more than just a team; we are a community committed to transforming healthcare across Africa.

View All Scholar Faculty Staff

People Directory

Photo of Efosa Obano

Founder & Manager of the Black Founders Network; Founder of African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE, University of Toronto

Photo of Kennedy Owino Ojowi

Master Scholar

Moi University, University of Toronto

Photo of Gladys Olisaekee

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Student

Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

Photo of Julia Kemunto Ombese

Training Coordinator in the Department of Community Health at Amref International University

Amref International University

Photo of Yvonne Opanga

, MSc, MGB Candidate

Research, Learning, and Impact Technical Advisor at Amref Health Africa; Adjunct Faculty at the Amref International University, School of Public Health

Amref International University

Photo of Osaretin Obano

Executive Director, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Photo of Maxwell Osei-Ampofo

Master Scholar

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Toronto

Photo of Joachim Osur

, PhD

Vice Chancellor, Amref International University

Amref International University

Photo of Angela Owusu-Ansah

, PhD

Provost (Chief Academic Officer/Pro Vice Chancellor) at Ashesi University

Ashesi University

Photo of Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah

, PhD

Professor, School of Business

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Profile
Efosa KC Obano

Efosa Obano

Founder & Manager of the Black Founders Network; Founder of African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Efosa Obano started and manages the Black Founders Network (BFN), which supports Black entrepreneurs across Canada with capital, community, and capacity building.

He also started and leads the African Impact Initiative (AII), which enables early African innovators to create solutions to challenges in their communities. He has expertise in using technology to create social impact, invest with impact, and build early-stage ventures. For this work, he has been recognized by the United Nations and the Ontario Minister’s Award of Excellence.
 
Prior to these, he led a team that guided start-ups on their digital transformation journeys with Dell Technologies Canada. He also led community outreach for Dell Canada’s Social Impact Team & Dell Canada’s Black Networking Alliance. He received Dell’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award for this work. He is an alumnus of the University of Toronto, where he specialized in Strategic Management.

Email Address
efosa@africanimpactinitiative.com; efosa.obano@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Kennedy Owino Ojowi

Master Scholar

Moi University

I am grateful for the opportunity to study health informatics as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Toronto.

This life-changing experience has challenged me to reach my full potential and has given me the opportunity to meet some of the most inspiring, intelligent, and supportive people in the world. I am confident that the experiences and relationships that I am building as a Mastercard Scholar will help me make a positive impact on the health system.

Profile Type
Scholar
Country
Canada
Kenya
Programs
Master of Health informatics Executive (EMHI)
Mastercard Foundation Masters Scholar program
Profile

Gladys Olisaekee

Mastercard Foundation Doctoral Student

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Email Address
gladys.olisaekee@mail.utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Scholar
Country
Canada
Profile

Julia Kemunto Ombese

Training Coordinator in the Department of Community Health at Amref International University

Amref International University

Ms. Julia is a Training Coordinator in the Department of Community Health at Amref International University (AMIU).

She has a wealth of experience in Community Health Work, Marketing, and Client/ student management, office and operations management. Previously, she has worked in various immunization, Communicable and Non-communicable diseases, leadership, management, and Governance projects implemented in various counties across Kenya under the Institute of Capacity Development (ICD) of Amref Health Africa as well as working as a Community Health Assistant in the Directorate of Health, Nairobi County. Ms. Julia holds a Degree in Community Health Practice and a professional certification in Strategic Management, leadership, and Development from Kenya Institute of Management and is soon looking forward to enrolling for a Master of Science in International Global Health. Currently, she is taking her French language classes.

Country
Kenya
Profile

Yvonne Opanga, MSc, MGB Candidate

Research, Learning, and Impact Technical Advisor at Amref Health Africa; Adjunct Faculty at the Amref International University, School of Public Health

Amref International University

Ms. Yvonne Opanga is a Research, Learning, and Impact Technical Advisor at Amref Health Africa and also contributes to the training of healthcare workforce in her capacity as an Adjunct Faculty at the Amref International University, School of Public Health.

She is the secretary of the Amref Ethics and Scientific Review Committee, where she coordinates the activities of the IRB secretariat. She is a public health researcher with more than 12 years’ experience in implementation research, Impact evaluations, health systems research, and Bioethics.

Ms. Opanga has a keen interest in research that addresses emerging trends across the health system continuum in the context of Primary Healthcare. Her aim is to drive research that contributes to effective corrective measures addressing Contextual and systemic disparities, including operation bottlenecks affecting the functionality of Primary Health Care Systems in vulnerable contexts in Kenya.

Ms. Opanga has participated as a co-investigator in more than 20 studies and published 19+ publications in local and international peer-reviewed journals. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Foods, Nutrition, and Dietetics, a Master of Science in Public Health, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Biomedical Ethics (Research, Public Health, and Clinical Ethics), and she is currently pursuing a Masters in Global Bioethics with Anahuac University Mexico (Universidad Anáhuac).

Email Address
yvonne.opanga@amref.org
Country
Kenya
Profile
Osaretin Obana

Osaretin Obano

Executive Director, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Osaretin Obano is a dedicated innovator and ecosystem builder passionate about transforming healthcare entrepreneurship in Africa. As Executive Director at the African Impact Initiative, University of Toronto, he plays a pivotal role within the Africa Health Collaborative, where he focuses on turning visionary ideas into tangible, life-changing healthcare ventures.

With a strong background in technology, business development, and startup investing, he applies a practical, results-driven approach to supporting early-stage health innovators. His work involves nurturing high-potential healthcare startups, fostering strategic partnerships, and providing the tools and guidance needed to scale impactful solutions across the continent.

Through the Africa Health Collaborative, he bridges the gap between entrepreneurial ambition and real-world implementation, helping to build sustainable ventures that address critical healthcare challenges. His efforts are centered on creating lasting impact by empowering entrepreneurs who are poised to redefine health outcomes in African communities.

Email Address
osaretin@africanimpactinitiative.com
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Maxwell Osei-Ampofo

Master Scholar

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

So far, my experience with the Mastercard Foundation has been phenomenal.

The staff has been incredibly helpful from day one to the present. I felt so welcomed to the city of Toronto; I was chauffeured from Pearson airport to Graduate House, where my room was already prepared with a greeting basket containing amenities for my stay. The organization has ensured that I am fully prepared for academic and social life. I am extremely appreciative for this opportunity.

Profile Type
Scholar
Country
Canada
Ghana
Programs
Master of Health Administration (MHSc)
Mastercard Foundation Masters Scholar program
Profile

Joachim Osur, PhD

Vice Chancellor, Amref International University

Amref International University

Joachim Osur is a Professor of Public Health as well as a Sexual and Reproductive Health practitioner. He is the Vice Chancellor, Amref International University.

He is a leader with wide experience in building sustainable health systems in Africa. He is also a specialist in higher education with a focus in building fit for purpose health workforce for African health systems. He is a medical practitioner specialized in Sexual Medicine and continues to attend to patients in his line of specialization.

Email Address
joachim.osur@amref.org
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Kenya
Governance
Executive Steering Committee
Profile

Angela Owusu-Ansah, PhD

Provost (Chief Academic Officer/Pro Vice Chancellor) at Ashesi University

Ashesi University

Angela Owusu-Ansah brings more than thirty years of academic and administrative experience in the United States and Ghana, West Africa, to her current role as Provost of Ashesi University. A member of the Phi Kappa Phi, a community of top scholars and professionals, she seeks to build an enduring legacy for future generations. She is a strong advocate for higher education quality serving on national university accreditation agency Boards such as the Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC) and serving 18 years on the United States Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP, formerly NCATE).

As an education leader, Angela served as Elon University’s Associate Dean of the School of
Education and Associate Dean of Access and Success, Samford University’s Assistant Dean of Education Assessment, and currently, Ashesi University’s Provost. She leverages innovative approaches, such as the scholarship of teaching and learning to improve student learning, the science of learning for faculty optimization of instruction, and research capacity building to improve higher education experiences and outcomes. She served on one of the ten Regional Education Laboratories’ Board in the United States to contribute to policy direction and implementation to support research in education.

Angela fosters entrepreneurial and innovative thinking for improving Africa by building spaces for students’ problem solving, integrating southern theory where feasible, and contributing to the development of Africa’s first university ranking system designed for appreciative inquiry of Africa’s systematic growth. Her research interest is in impact evaluation and change in Africa’s higher education, specifically digitized higher education instruction, higher education teaching and learning as a science, intercultural understanding among African students, and African women in Higher Education leadership.

Email Address
aowusuansah@ashesi.edu.gh
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Ghana
Governance
Executive Steering Committee
Profile

Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah, PhD

Professor, School of Business

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Professor Wilberforce Owusu Ansah is an accomplished researcher, lecturer, trainer and consultant in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Public Policy, Public Health, and Immigrant Entrepreneurship.

He has worked in private, public and not-for-profit organizations and academic institutions throughout the world including Norway, The Netherlands, Ireland and his native Ghana in many and varied capacities. He is a former Head of Department of the Marketing and Corporate Strategy Department and a former Vice Dean of the KNUST School of Business. Professor Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah is the Pillar Lead for Health Entrepreneurship, under the Africa Health Collaborative.

Email Address
woansah@gmail.com
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Ghana
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee