AfriWon

Dr. Ibrahim Banaru Abubakar (Nigeria)

Dr. Ibrahim Banaru Abubakar is a Consultant Family Physician and Clinical Governance Expert at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria, providing first-contact, longitudinal, and person-centered care. A Fellow of the West African College of Physicians in Family Medicine, he holds specialist expertise in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), with an MPhil focused on policy research and advocacy. He also holds advanced degrees in Health Economics, Medical Leadership, and Reproductive Health, which he applies to advance health equity, social protection, and sustainable development.

Dr. Banaru has played a key role in Nigeria’s health policy, serving as Technical Assistant for the Nigeria Medium-Term National Development Plan and Nigeria Agenda 2050, and currently as Technical Anchor for Health Policy at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), leading workshops and policy initiatives to advance universal health coverage. Globally, he is a member of the WHO Expert Group on SRHR and Universal Health Coverage, providing evidence-informed guidance to strengthen health systems.

Within WONCA, he has held multiple leadership roles in AfriWon, including Nigeria Country Representative, Deputy Secretary, Secretary, and now Chair (2025–2027), also serving on the WONCA Africa Region Executive Committee. He is active in the Lifestyle Medicine Special Interest Group and the Working Parties on Ethics, Professionalism, and Ageing.

Nationally, Dr. Banaru chairs the Kaduna Chapter of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria and the Northwest Zone in the National Executive Council. He is recognized for mentorship, public speaking, and capacity-building, advancing equitable, inclusive, and youth-driven healthcare across Africa.

Email Chair

• Deputy Chairperson 1: Dr. Wongani Kumwenda (Malawi)
• Deputy Chairperson 2: Dr. Akosua Nfodwaa Opoku Asare (Ghana)
• Secretary: Dr. Mbaseege Anna Kabona (Uganda) Email the AfriWon Secretariat
• Deputy Secretary: Dr. Sentebaleng Elizabeth Seitshiro (South Africa)
• Treasurer: Dr. Mandisa Tenego (Botswana)
• Deputy Treasurer: Dr. Nana Akua Abruquah (Ghana)

Theme Group Leads

• Research and Clinical Audit Lead: Dr. Nantale Atangwa Peace (Uganda)
• Education and Training Lead: Dr. Yaone Bogatsu (Botswana)
• Rural Practice Lead: Dr. Susan Miako (Kenya)
• Exchange Lead: Dr. Brenda Maingi (Kenya)
• Image and Communications Lead: Dr. Thando Agape Dube (Zambia)
• Beyond AfriWon Lead: Dr. Daniel Machuor Arok (South Sudan)

Country Representatives

• Kenya: Dr. Susan Cheruiyot
• Liberia: Dr. Ibrahim Sanoe
• Nigeria: Dr. Dele Abdullahi
• South Africa: Dr. Simon Mashudu Marcus
• Zambia: Dr. Kuku Kapenda Kapasu
• Ghana: Dr. Bernice Enyonam Akpaloo

Past Leaderships of AfriWon

• 2023 - 2025
  Chair: Dr. Mercy Nafula Wanjala (Kenya)
  Secretary: Dr. Ibrahim Banaru Abubakar (Nigeria)
• 2021 - 2023
  Chair: Dr. Ettang Enwongo (South Africa)
  Secretary: Dr. Nana Affare (Ghana)
• 2018 - 2021
  Chair: Dr. Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng (Ghana)
  Secretary: Dr. Moyosore Makinde (Nigeria)
• 2016 - 2018
  Chair: Dr. Joy Mugambi (Kenya)
  Secretary: Dr. Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng (Ghana)
• 2013 - 2016
  Chair: Dr. Kayode Alao (Nigeria)
  Secretary: Dr. Aramide Oteju (Nigeria)

Who can join?

• Family medicine trainees and residents
• Family physicians within five years of qualification
• General practitioners and medical officers within eight years of medical school graduation

Get involved

• Join a theme group
• Collaborate on research, education and other projects
• Mentor or be mentored
• Participate in conferences, advocacy and communications
• Build cross-country professional networks and help shape the future of family medicine in Africa

Complete the AfriWon Renaissance membership form to join, or email [email protected].

Together, we are inspiring leadership, advancing family medicine and transforming primary health care across Africa.

Aim

To empower young African family doctors through leadership, collaboration, mentorship and innovation to strengthen family medicine and primary health care across Africa.

Vision

To be Africa's leading movement of young family doctors advancing family medicine, primary health care and health equity through leadership, innovation and collaboration.

Mission

To connect, empower and amplify young African family doctors through mentorship, education, research, advocacy, leadership development, professional exchange and strategic partnerships that strengthen primary health care across Africa.

Core Pillars

• Youth Leadership: Develop young family medicine leaders through mentorship, leadership opportunities and meaningful participation in decision-making.
• Collaboration: Connect young family doctors across countries for peer learning, networking, multicountry work and collective action.
• Education, Research and Innovation: Build clinical, academic and research capability through continuing professional development, mentorship, evidence generation and innovation.
• Advocacy and Representation: Amplify young doctors' voices in regional and global forums and advocate for family medicine and strong primary health care systems.
• Community Impact: Support equitable, community-oriented primary health care, including rural health, universal health coverage and underserved populations.

AfriWon Renaissance pursues its mission by:

• Connecting trainees and early-career family doctors through networking, mentorship and professional collaboration
• Advancing family medicine and primary health care through education, research, evidence-based practice and community-oriented care
• Facilitating cross-country research, professional exchange and partnerships that address shared health challenges
• Championing the needs, aspirations and perspectives of young African family doctors
• Strengthening their representation and active participation within WONCA and other regional and global platforms

AfriWon Renaissance delivers its work through six theme groups and the AfriWon Research Collaborative (ARC). Each platform gives young and early-career family doctors practical opportunities to learn, lead, collaborate and contribute across Africa.

Theme Groups

AfriWon Research Collaborative (ARC)

ARC is AfriWon Renaissance's flagship six-month research mentorship programme. It equips emerging researchers with practical skills in research design, protocol development, scientific writing, publication and conference presentation, while fostering multicountry collaboration and evidence generation in family medicine and primary health care.

Strategic Priorities, 2025 to 2027

Rather than duplicating the theme group activities, the priorities below identify the movement-wide outcomes AfriWon Renaissance is working towards.

• Grow membership and strengthen country representation and national AfriWon structures
• Expand leadership development, structured mentorship and opportunities for emerging leaders
• Strengthen education, research, innovation and quality improvement, including growth of ARC
• Increase advocacy, representation, communication and digital visibility for young African family doctors
• Deepen rural health and community impact, particularly in underserved settings
• Develop structured conference, academic and clinical exchange opportunities across Africa
• Build sustainable partnerships and mobilise resources with WONCA, universities, ministries of health, NGOs and other partners