PUNCH chair Emuwa, Adeyeye bag African healthcare awards

The Chairman of PUNCH Nigeria Limited, Mrs Angela Emuwa, has won the Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare Awards for her immense contributions to healthcare development, innovation, and community impact.

Emuwa, one of the daughters of PUNCH’s founding chairman, the late Chief Olu Aboderin, was among 10 outstanding women from across Africa honoured at the third edition of the EWAH Awards, tagged #EWAHAFRO2026 – held on Sunday in Lagos – for her role in deepening access to healthcare in Nigeria.

The organisers said the awards recognised the impact of women in the health sector, gave visibility to their work, and encouraged them to do more to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Other awardees include the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye; President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Njide Ndili; Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Viviane Ihekweazu; Chief Executive Officer of Advantage Health Africa, Abimbola Adebakin; Chief Executive Officer of ACT Foundation, Osayi Alile; and a former Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Mohammed-Baloni.

Also honoured were the Chief Executive Officer of Elin Group Limited, Dr Elizabeth Jack-Rich; the Officer-in-Charge of IbuleSoro Basic Health Centre, Adenike Fasawe; the Managing Director of Iwosan Lagoon Ambulatory Service and Iwosan Wellness Centre, Dr Oluwatomi Kogo; and the Founder of Synlab Nigeria, Dr Pamela Jackson-Ajayi.

Dignitaries at the event included the EWAH Grand Matron, Senator Daisy Danjuma, represented by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Patrick Ajah, as well as EWAH alumni led by the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Health Management Agency, Dr Emmanuella Zamba.

The EWAH Awards honour trailblazing women who have significantly improved health outcomes and championed gender parity in Africa’s healthcare sector.

Originating from the Commonwealth Institute, the awards also drive advocacy to bridge the persistent gender gap in healthcare leadership.

Receiving the award, Emuwa described the honour as a testament to PUNCH’s unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare in Nigeria through investigative, in-depth, and impact-driven journalism.

She expressed appreciation to the organisers for recognising PUNCH’s contributions to improving maternal and child health, routine immunisation coverage, universal health coverage, nutrition, public health awareness, health insurance coverage, and healthcare financing, among other areas.

Emuwa said the award was a strong encouragement to continue telling impactful stories that would strengthen the country’s health sector.

“We sincerely appreciate this recognition, and it inspires us to do even more to ensure that the health of Nigerians remains a priority and that every Nigerian has access to quality healthcare, with no one left behind,” she said.

Emuwa noted that, through the PUNCH Media Foundation and PUNCH Healthwise, the organisation continues to spotlight critical challenges confronting the health sector, drawing the attention of the government and other key stakeholders to issues requiring urgent action while also helping to bridge the gender gap in healthcare leadership.

She said, “PUNCH Nigeria Limited, through the PUNCH Media Foundation and PUNCH Healthwise, continues to deepen its health impact in Nigeria and has contributed significantly to improving the country’s healthcare system through our in-depth and investigative health reporting.

“PUNCH drives public understanding of health issues, influences policies and priorities, and holds institutions accountable.

“Our organisation has consistently advanced healthcare access and public health awareness in Nigeria, particularly in the areas of maternal and child health, women’s health, childhood immunisation, nutrition, healthcare financing, and public health.”

According to her, the organisation has strengthened investigative reporting, amplified the voices of women, men, caregivers, and frontline health workers, and sustained public dialogue on health challenges and solutions to improve health outcomes.

Emuwa said PUNCH would continue advocating increased budgetary allocation to the health sector and a reduction in maternal and infant mortality through quality health reporting.

“Adequate financing is essential to improving health outcomes.

“We publish stories highlighting the healthcare challenges faced by rural communities and people at the grassroots, ensuring that they have access to basic healthcare services.

“This is extremely important because our work also contributes to achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage,” she said.

In her welcome address, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, EWAH Award Nigeria, Clare Omatseye, said the awards were not simply about presenting plaques but about inspiring transformation and encouraging people to make meaningful differences.

“When we established this initiative several years ago, our goal was to shine the spotlight on women who are making a difference, transforming communities, and ensuring that patients have access to quality healthcare,” she said.

According to her, despite the vital role women play in healthcare, they remain underrepresented in key decision-making positions.

“We believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion, but we are not asking for women to overtake men. We simply want women to have a seat at the table and a voice that enables them to make a difference,” she said.

Speaking further on the awards, the Regional Representative for EWAH Awards Africa, Dr Bisi Bright, said the initiative celebrated “women who have what we call the ‘Miles to Go’ mindset.”

Bright said the awards were conceived after a group of women recognised that although more than 67.7 per cent of the healthcare workforce comprises women, fewer than three per cent occupy top leadership positions.

She explained that recipients were selected neither on the basis of age nor profession.

“This is different from most awards because the real work begins after you receive it. If you look at our past awardees and honourees, most of them have gone from success to success, from one level to another, and from one height to even greater heights,” she said.

According to her, LiveWell Initiative has been appointed to coordinate the EWAH Awards across Africa, with plans already underway to expand to Ghana, Mauritius, Egypt, and Zimbabwe.

Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Njide Ndili advocated stronger public-private partnerships to reduce Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate.

“The statistics show that a woman dies every seven minutes while giving birth. We need to change that,” said Ndili, who is also the Country Director of PharmaAccess.