Nigeria has earned a seat at the table of international health security leadership, as coordinator of the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), Dr. Aminu Magashi has been elected secretary and a member of the board of directors of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Consortium.
The announcement was made in a statement released in Abuja by chair of the GHSA board of directors, Dr. Jennyfer Ambe officially confirming the election results.
Magashi, a respected health policy advocate based in Nigeria’s capital, brings a wealth of experience in public health financing, governance and civil society engagement to his new role. Under his leadership, AHBN has played a key role in promoting accountability and transparency within African health systems.
“The GHSA Consortium is a voluntary coalition of non-governmental organisations working collaboratively to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats,” Ambe said.
She added that the consortium operates in close coordination with governments, international organisations, and the private sector to implement critical global health frameworks such as the International Health Regulations (IHR), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) PVS Pathway, and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
Reacting to his election, Magashi expressed his commitment to elevating the voice of African civil society in shaping global health security policies.
“I look forward to deepening South-South collaboration, enhancing capacity-building efforts and creating platforms for inclusive information sharing,” he said. “We must ensure Africa’s priorities are represented in global decision-making spaces.”
Magashi noted that AHBN previously co-organised Nigeria’s national COVID-19 Conference in 2021 and supported civil society organisations in eight African countries to implement a regional health security accountability framework. These efforts have strengthened governance and coordination in national health systems.
He also highlighted AHBN’s affiliations with key global networks such as the Global Health Council, CORE Group and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH).
Magashi currently serves on Nigeria’s Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Technical Working Group on Health Security, positioning him at the intersection of national and international policy development.
The GHSA Consortium comprises more than 70 countries and organisations working toward a common goal: a world safeguarded from the threat of infectious diseases.
