EWAHAFRO2026: EWAH seeks greater women’s visibility in healthcare leadership, honours 10
By Chioma Obinna
The Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare (EWAH) Awards on Wednesday in Lagos renewed its campaign for increased female representation in healthcare leadership, lamenting that despite women accounting for over two-thirds of the global health workforce, they remain largely missing at the highest levels of decision-making.
The organisers also announced that 10 outstanding women from across Africa will be honoured at the 2026 edition of the awards for their contributions to healthcare development, innovation and community impact.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos ahead of the event, Chief Executive Officer of LiveWell Initiative (LWI) and Regional Representative of EWAH in Africa, Dr. Bisi Bright, said the initiative was created to give visibility to women whose work is transforming healthcare and inspiring the next generation of leaders.
According to Bright, the imbalance in healthcare leadership despite women’s overwhelming numerical presence in the sector remains a major concern.
“We want, through EWAH Awards, to get more women to the top in healthcare. Although women constitute more than two-thirds of the healthcare workforce, only a few of them are visible at the top, yet their impact is palpable and indispensable,” she said.
Bright explained that the 2026 awards, themed: ‘Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare with a Miles-to-Go Mindset,’ will celebrate women whose work reflects innovation, resilience, inclusiveness and long-term vision for strengthening health systems.
She said the awards are different from conventional recognition platforms because they cut across both formal and informal healthcare spaces, stressing that honourees do not necessarily have to be healthcare professionals.
“The awards are for women making extraordinary impact at every level of healthcare. What matters is impact, innovation and service,” she added.
Bright disclosed that several previous awardees had moved on to occupy higher positions in government, academia and public health, describing EWAH as a platform that amplifies transformational leadership.
She revealed that this year’s honourees include women advancing healthcare through artificial intelligence, digital health solutions, improved access to medicines and community-based interventions.
Speaking on behalf of Bloom Public Health, a partner organisation under the LiveWell Bloom Joint Venture Partnership, Director of Programmes Delivery, Mrs. Uju Nwabuzor, said the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to celebrating women whose leadership continues to improve lives and strengthen communities.
Also speaking, Project Manager of the EWAH Awards, Damilola Olarenwaju, described the initiative as a platform for inspiring younger healthcare professionals to embrace leadership, innovation and service.
“The EWAH Awards is not just about recognition; it is about inspiring the next generation of healthcare leaders to think bigger, innovate more and serve humanity better,” Olarenwaju said.
Tagged #EWAHAFRO2026, the event is the third in the African series of the awards, which was inaugurated by the Commonwealth Institute, now known as The Women’s Edge, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The organisers said the event will be held as a hybrid gathering, attracting participants both physically and virtually from over 20 countries, as part of efforts to build a global alliance of women shaping the future of healthcare.