Dr. Annette Ofunne Akinsete has served as the CEO/National Director of the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN) since 2013, leading transformative and innovative strategies for the prevention, management, care, and support of sickle cell disorder. Under her leadership, SCFN has advanced impactful interventions through Public–Private Partnerships, Arts in Medicine, and robust Family Support Systems.
A Consultant Public Health Physician and Fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Dr. Akinsete is also an accomplished administrator, teacher, and broadcaster. She spent several years as a Director in the Public Health Department of the Federal Ministry of Health, where she earned the reputation of being “The Leader of Leaders,” and represented the Federal Government of Nigeria at numerous bilateral and multilateral engagements globally.
Dr. Akinsete has worked across all tiers of government in Nigeria—local, state, and federal—and has made significant global contributions, including authorship on World Health Organization (WHO) publications on Non-Communicable Diseases. She has served as a WHO Fellow in Geneva and a UN Cares Facilitator at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Currently, she is a Commissioner on the Nigeria NCDI Poverty Commission, an Adjunct Lecturer at Eko University of Medicine, and a Board Member of the University of Ibadan Research Foundation. She also represents the Women’s Board at the United Nations and remains committed to mentoring young girls as a Brownie Owl.