By Kemi Akintokun
Lagos, Nigeria — The Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare (EWAH) Awards has called for increased visibility and recognition of women in the health sector as a strategic step toward closing persistent gender gaps in leadership.
Speaking at a news conference in Lagos on Wednesday ahead of the 2026 EWAH Awards scheduled for June 27, the Regional Representative of EWAH, Dr. Bisi Bright, emphasised that despite women accounting for over two-thirds of the global health workforce, they remain significantly underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles.
Bright, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of LiveWell Initiative, said the awards were established to spotlight and amplify the contributions of women making significant impacts in healthcare while inspiring others to pursue leadership positions.
“EWAH was established to recognise and amplify the contributions of women making extraordinary impacts in healthcare while encouraging more women to aspire to leadership roles,” she said.
She explained that the initiative promotes women delivering exceptional contributions and encourages them to sustain and expand their influence across healthcare and related sectors.
According to Bright, the 2026 awards, themed “Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare with a Miles-to-Go Mindset,” reflect a sustained commitment to service, innovation and leadership in the sector.
She added that several past recipients of the awards have advanced to occupy higher positions in government, academia and public health following their recognition.
Bright disclosed that 10 women would be honoured at the third edition of the awards, selected through a rigorous process involving public nominations, independent research and final review by the EWAH Board.
“The honourees include women advancing healthcare through artificial intelligence, digital health solutions, improved access to medicines and community-based health interventions,” she said.
Also speaking, Mrs. Uju Nwabuzor, Director of Programme Delivery at Bloom Public Health, noted that the organisation’s partnership with EWAH underscores a shared commitment to celebrating individuals driving meaningful change in communities.
She said the leadership and service of the award recipients continue to improve health outcomes through impactful, community-focused initiatives.
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Project Manager of the EWAH Awards, Mr. Damilola Raji, described the platform as one that not only recognises excellence but also inspires younger healthcare professionals to embrace innovation and leadership.
The EWAH Awards, originally run by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the programme now known as “The Woman’s Edge,” serve as the parent initiative for the EWAH Africa Awards.
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