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.

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People Directory

Photo of Ignacio Mongrell

Assistant Director, ICUBE

ICUBE, University of Toronto Mississauga

Photo of Lisa Morgan

Assistant Dean, International and Specialized Programs

University of Toronto

Photo of Angel Motsamai

, MBA, PhD

Program Officer (Southern Africa), South Africa

Africa Secretariat

Photo of Winnie Nakiyingi

Research Assistant

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Photo of Marie Therese Ndiaye

, PhD

Partnerships Manager

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Photo of Celestine Nema

Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship & Work Integrated Learning - Management Department; Projects Lead - African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE, University of Toronto Scarborough

Photo of Willie Ngumi

, MBA

Deputy Digital Learning Director

Amref International University

Photo of John Nkengasong

Executive Director for Higher Education, Collaboratives, and Special Initiatives, Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation

Photo of Edward Nkole

, CPA, CMA

Finance & Administration Associate Director

Africa Secretariat, Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Photo of Efosa Obano

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

African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE, University of Toronto

Profile

Ignacio Mongrell

Assistant Director, ICUBE

ICUBE

Originally from Uruguay, Ignacio moved to Canada in 2010 and earned a Master’s of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) from the University of Waterloo.

He worked at the Waterloo Accelerator Centre as Director of Client Services where he led the JumpStart funding program and other strategic initiatives. Ignacio also worked at Haltech Regional Innovation Centre supporting clients and community members by managing a range of business advisory programs, including the Haltech HEAT™ startup services program, and specialty programs to support scaleup of high-growth ventures. Ignacio is also an entrepreneur at heart and co-founded and exited a real estate start-up (Apartmint). Ignacio is currently the Assistant Director at ICUBE – and chair of Positive Space at the University of Toronto, advocating for LGBTQ2S+ students, staff and faculty.

Email Address
ignacio.mongrell@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Lisa Morgan

Assistant Dean, International and Specialized Programs

University of Toronto

Lisa Morgan is Assistant Dean, International and Specialized Programs at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (SCS) where she leads strategic design and business development with a focus on international initiatives and other specialized programming in lifelong learning. She also leads the planning, direction, and oversight of the English Language Program (ELP) and Post-secondary Education Preparedness.

In collaboration with the Office Vice President International and in participation with the Africa Health Collaborative, she is leading a co-creation project with an interdisciplinary team featuring SCS, UofT Faculty, and Ashesi University, Ghana.

Formerly, she served as ELP Director and Academic Director, where she established and maintained strategic and collaborative international partnerships with institutions and governmental organizations including those with a focus on equity-deserving groups in various regions around the world and has participated in several trade missions in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Lisa Morgan has a B.A.A in Education from Ryerson University and an M.A. in Education from University of Toronto.

Email Address
lm.morgan@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Ghana
Pillar
Health Ecosystems
Program
Public Policy
Profile

Angel Motsamai, MBA, PhD

Program Officer (Southern Africa), South Africa

Africa Secretariat

Dr. Angel Motsamai is a Program Officer: Southern Africa, at the University of Toronto.

Her key roles involve establishing partnerships with Africa-based industries with the purpose of creating work integrated learning opportunities for African scholars studying at the University of Toronto. She is also responsible for establishing and strengthening relationships with key stakeholders in the Southern Africa region.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto, Dr. Motsamai contributed her skills and knowledge to the University of KwaZulu Natal, where she held the position of Principal Project Coordinator. In this role, she was responsible for managing various academic projects, including the Entrepreneurial Champions Program, an initiative by the South African government through the Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs.

Her other previous employment includes the Mangosuthu University of Technology, where she worked as a Project Officer. Her duties included placement of students with industry, establishing partnerships with organizations and government. Prior to this, she worked at the Durban University of Technology, as a Senior International Relations Officer. Her tenure there involved fostering international collaborations and partnerships, which enhanced the university’s global presence and academic exchange opportunities.

Dr. Motsamai’s educational background is anchored by a robust foundation in business administration. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, which provided her with a comprehensive understanding of business management principles. Further advancing her expertise, she pursued and completed a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), which has equipped her with the skills to conduct high-level strategic planning and decision-making.

Email Address
angel.motsamai@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
South Africa
Pillars
Health Ecosystems
Health Employment
Health Entrepreneurship
Program
Africa Secretariat
Profile

Winnie Nakiyingi

Research Assistant

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Winnie Nakiyingi is a master at research and report writing with a specialization in mathematical and statistical processes.

She is an alumna of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), where she currently works as a Research Assistant (Data & Quantum) at the Research and Innovation Center in Kigali, Rwanda. Winnie brings a wealth of experience through data collection, analysis, and report writing plus her passion to contribute to the Standard Development Goals (SDGs). She is a certified researcher through the TRREE Training program in Research Ethics Evaluation. She has also been engaged in humanitarian work through Axiom-DK as a Statistics consultant. Winnie is one of the Science Diplomacy alumni at the United Nations Institute and Training and Research (UNITAR), and the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) in Switzerland. More recently, she has been selected as one of the prestigious Women In Africa (WIA) Young Leaders 2023 laureates.

Email Address
wnakiyingi@quantumleapafrica.org
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Rwanda
Pillar
Health Ecosystems
Governance
HECO Pillar Advisory Committee
Profile

Marie Therese Ndiaye, PhD

Partnerships Manager

Office of the Vice-President International

Ms. Marie Therese Yaba Ndiaye is the Partnerships Manager at the Office of Vice President International at the University of Toronto.

Her role focuses on developing a coherent strategy for partnership engagement to increase the network’s visibility, influence, and long-term sustainability. Additionally, she spearheads ecosystem mapping initiatives to identify and cultivate partnerships that amplify the collaborative’s collective impact across the continent.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto, she worked with USAID, World Food Programme, and community-based organizations on climate resilience and humanitarian assistance programming. In those positions, she covered and traveled widely in West and Central African countries. She holds a Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and can work in French, English, and Portuguese.

Email Address
marietherese.ndiaye@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Celestine Nema

Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship & Work Integrated Learning - Management Department; Projects Lead - African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Celestine Nema is a Program Coordinator for Entrepreneurship and Work-Integrated Learning at The BRIDGE, an entrepreneurship accelerator in the Management Department at the University of Toronto, Scarborough.

She also acts as the Projects Lead for the African Impact Initiative, a University of Toronto partner that runs the African Impact Challenge, a startup incubator program that  supports young African entrepreneurs to create viable solutions for the most pressing challenges within their communities. Celestine’s career spanned public service for almost a decade before pivoting her career to focus on her passion for entrepreneurship, youth education, and youth development.

Email Address
celestine.nema@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Willie Ngumi, MBA

Deputy Digital Learning Director

Amref International University

Willie has a strong technology and business development background spanning private sector and the development sector.

He has over 11 years of experience in ICT4D space implementing solutions in Digital health, health system strengthening, behavior change communication, Human Centered Design and Digital Identities targeting underserved communities. Willie previously worked with the GSM Association, a global association for mobile network operators, CDC Foundation / mHealth Kenya, providing technical support for the conceptualization, design and deployment of mHealth applications through Public Private Partnerships. Willie also previously worked at the Foreign Commercial Service at the U.S. Embassy Nairobi, and in the Internet Service Provision industry as a web developer.  Willie has an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi and a BSc. in Computer Science from Africa Nazarene University, trained in Human Centered Design and a Certified Development Project Manager.

Email Address
willie.ngumi@amref.org
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Kenya
Pillar
Health Ecosystems
Governance
Executive Steering Committee
HECO Pillar Advisory Committee
Profile
Ambassador John N. Nkengasong is the Executive Director for Higher Education at the Mastercard Foundation

John Nkengasong

Executive Director for Higher Education, Collaboratives, and Special Initiatives, Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation

Ambassador John N. Nkengasong is a distinguished virologist and global health leader with more than 30 years of experience in public health. He currently serves as the Executive Director for Higher Education at the Mastercard Foundation, where he oversees the Foundation’s higher education and health workforce development portfolios.

Previously, he was the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and the Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), leading U.S. efforts to strengthen global health security and manage infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS. He was the founding Director of the Africa CDC, where he established it as a key autonomous health agency and coordinated Africa’s COVID-19 response, securing vaccines for the continent. He held critical roles at the U.S. CDC and contributed extensively to global health diplomacy.

He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Yaoundé, an M.Sc. from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, and a Ph.D. from the University of Brussels, and leadership training certification from Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Recognized among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021, Ambassador Nkengasong has received numerous awards, including the Virchow Prize for Global Health. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Life.

Email Address
jnkengasong@mastercardfdn.org
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Governance
Executive Steering Committee
Profile

Edward Nkole, CPA, CMA

Finance & Administration Associate Director

Africa Secretariat

Edward Nkole is a seasoned professional who, since March 2022, has been dedicated to his role as the Senior Planning and Budget Officer at the Office of the Vice President International (OVPI).

His responsibilities encompass providing invaluable financial management counsel, ensuring meticulous preparation of financial reports for the Foundation, and fostering collaborative partnerships both within and outside the organization.

Edward’s role is marked by dual reporting, where he effectively liaises with the Senior Director, International Relations, Africa for the Mastercard Foundation Grant. Furthermore, he holds a pivotal position as the finance lead within OVPI, reporting directly to the AVP International Engagement and Impact.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Edward’s true passion lies in the realm of education. With a remarkable twelve-plus years of experience in the university sector, he brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to the table. Edward Nkole is a dynamic individual who continues to make a significant impact in the field of international relations and education.

Email Address
edward.nkole@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Pillars
Health Ecosystems
Health Employment
Health Entrepreneurship
Program
Africa Secretariat
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