We are delighted to announce the formation of the inaugural Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Alumni Steering Committee for 2025–2027. This pioneering committee brings together a dynamic group of AfOx alumni who embody excellence, transformative leadership, and a shared commitment to a shared vision where Africa’s knowledge, leadership, and innovation drive global progress. Their diverse expertise and experiences will strengthen alumni engagement, foster impactful partnerships, and amplify the voices of African scholars globally.
Sandra Akweley Martey, the Scholarships Programme Coordinator at AfOx said, "This inaugural Alumni Steering Committee marks an important milestone for AfOx. Our alumni are already driving remarkable change in their fields, and this Committee will amplify their collective leadership, strengthen continental networks, and ensure that AfOx remains a lifelong community of impact."
Meet the team
Co-Chair
Patricia is a Co-Chair of the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Alumni Steering Committee 2025-2027 and 2023/2024 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme Alumni. While at Oxford, she pursued MSc in Environmental Change and Management at Oriel college. She will be supporting the inaugural AfOx Alumni Steering Committee as a Co-Chair.
Patricia has vast leadership experience on youth led entities and has previously worked as the Vice Chairperson of United Nations Population Fund youth board in Kenya and Coordinator of the Global Network of Young Persons with Disabilities. Currently she is the Founder and Executive Director of Climclusive, a disability and youth led organisation that supports inclusive climate action for persons with disabilities. Patricia has been recognised by the Business Daily newspaper as one of the top 40 under 40 women in Kenya in 2023 and also among 50 Most Influential Women in Kenya 2024 by Africapitol
Co-Chair
Amadu Wurie Bah is a Co-Chair of the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Alumni Steering Committee 2025-2027, he is also a student Rep for the postgraduate Diploma in Global Health Research programme at the University of Oxford for the 2024/2025 Cohort. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Public Health and a Master’s degree in Public Health both from Njala University with a concentration in Health Informatics.
He is a public health professional with close to a decade of experience in maternal and rural health, supply chain and data management. His work spans around mortality surveillance, maternal and reproductive health, TB and HIV interventions, health system strengthening, and rural health initiatives.
He has worked and collaborated with several institutions in Sierra Leone such as the Ministry of Health, Masanga Teaching Hospital, and his currently with World Vision International Sierra Leone where he serves as a Technical officer for TB and HIV for the Global Fund Cycle Seven grant (GC-7). His research interests are centred around maternal health, resilient health systems, community-based interventions and digital health.
Impact and Strategy Lead
Andisani Masindi is a strategic leader with over a decade of experience working in global organisations across Technology and E-commerce, FMCG, Energy, and Development Finance. She has led complex, cross-functional initiatives and strategic partnerships, bringing together diverse teams to address organisational challenges and deliver measurable results.
Her work spans strategy formulation, programme design, and execution oversight, with a focus on clarity, collaboration, and building systems that scale. She has operated across multiple regions and sectors, giving her a broad perspective on growth, innovation, and institutional performance.
An Oxford MBA 2024 graduate and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme Alumni, Andisani currently serves as the Impact and Strategy Lead on the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Alumni Steering Committee, where she contributes to strategic alignment and programme evaluation. She is committed to strengthening the AfOx network, amplifying African scholarship, and supporting initiatives that bridge knowledge, opportunity, and impact across the continent.
Regional Lead for Northern Africa & Diaspora
Reem Elsayed is a pharmacist and global health professional with over six years of experience in health policy, research, and health systems strengthening. She currently serves as the Regional Lead for Northern Africa and Diaspora on the AfOx Alumni Steering Committee (2025–2027 cohort), contributing to strategic planning, alumni engagement, and regional collaboration.
Reem completed her MSc in International Health & Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar (2024/2025). She also holds a Master’s in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, as an MRF Scholar.
She previously worked with WHO EMRO, leading a scoping review on climate-resilient healthcare facilities across 22 countries. She spent four years supporting Egypt’s national Universal Health Coverage reforms, focusing on research, policy, and health services management. Reem also represented Northern Africa on Africa CDC’s Youth Advisory Team for Health, where she contributed to youth-led strategies and consulted the Africa CDC on the continent’s Youth Engagement Strategy for Health.
Regional Lead for Eastern and Southern Africa
Emmanuel Minja is a part of the inaugural Mastercard Foundation Scholars program and AfOx class of 2022-2023 at the University of Oxford. In Oxford, he pursued MSc. in Waster Science, Policy and Management at the school of Geography and the Environment. Emmanuel is the Regional Lead for Eastern and Southern Africa in this Alumni Steering Committee (ASC), supporting coordination and implementation of post-oxford scholars' engagement from the horn to the cape of Africa. After Oxford, Emmanuel is based in Tanzania, delivering initiatives at the intersection of nature conservation, climate action and sustainable development across the region.
Impact and Strategy Lead
Prince Forghab serves as Strategy and Impact Lead on the AfOx Alumni Steering Committee, shaping the design, coordination, and long-term positioning of initiatives that strengthen the Africa–Oxford partnership.
A Mastercard Foundation Scholar, Prince completed the Master of Public Policy (MPP) at the University of Oxford in 2024–2025, concentrating on governance reform, public sector innovation, and the political economy of service delivery in African states. At Oxford, he paired coursework with applied research on devolution, public administration, and accountability, and frequently shared insights through his “Global Issues” newsletter and the school's blog.
Prince brings a multidisciplinary background spanning policy research, strategy & impact consulting, and development analysis. He has supported organisations advancing humanitarian interventions, local government reforms, health and education initiatives, and improvements in public service delivery, with engagements across Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda and the UK.
Guided by the belief that impact demands both strategic clarity and grounded execution, Prince is focused on building stronger institutions and widening opportunity for the most vulnerable. On the AfOx Alumni Steering Committee, he is driving knowledge-sharing systems, deeper cross-cohort engagement, and high-impact pathways for African scholars and partners—elevating African policy voices and translating ideas into results
Communications Liaison (Media & Visibility)
Amanda Opara is a Nigerian lawyer with over 5 years of experience advising on diverse finance transactions with a keen interest in development finance.
She currently serves as the Communications Liaison (Media & Visibility) on the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Alumni Steering Committee (2025–2027 Cohort) with a mandate to provide strategic direction, coordination and leadership for AfOx alumni engagement activities.
Amanda completed her MSc in Law and Finance at the University of Oxford (2024/2025) as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar.
Amanda is also an Operations and Impact Administration Fellow at African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), facilitated by the Mastercard Foundation-AfOx Ubuntu Transitions Programme. At AVPA, she contributes to its operational strategy and impact workflows of capital raising, capacity building and knowledge sharing through legal and partnership compliance; conceptualising and organising investor engagement and pitch events; board and governance support; project management; research; and communications.
Before Oxford, Amanda was a senior associate at G. Elias, a tier 1 Nigerian business law firm, where she led its banking and finance practice and, among others, advised on development financings and impact investments across Africa. She (and her work) has been recognised by several reputable directories, including the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) 1000 and Legal 500.
Regional Lead for Western and Central Africa
Dr Leila Ilupeju is a medical doctor and strategy consultant shaping the future of health systems across Africa and globally. With expertise spanning health financing, policy, and digital health, her work focuses on enabling governments and global health institutions to build resilient, equitable, and sustainable health systems.
She holds an MSc in Translational Health Sciences (with Merit) from the University of Oxford (2024), where she was awarded the prestigious Mastercard Foundation Program Scholarship. She also earned her medical degree (MBChB) and BSc Medical Sciences degrees from the University of Ghana, and has further deepened her expertise through advanced professional training in Leadership and Management in Health, Implementation Science, and Health Financing Policy for Universal Health Coverage through the University of Washington and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Deeply committed to expanding opportunity for young Africans, Dr Ilupeju serves as a Trustee of the TEST4AFRICA Scholarship Board, supporting Ghanaian students to access tertiary education.
In her role as Regional Lead for Western and Central Africa, she will provide strategic leadership and strengthen the Africa-Oxford alumni community to drive greater regional and global impact.
Communications Liaison
Kendi Juma pursued her MSc in African Studies from the University of Oxford as a part of the Mastercard Foundation scholars Program 2024/5 cohort where her research focused on women’s social and economic mobility in Kenya. Her academic background in Law from the University of Nairobi has shaped her understanding of the complexity of contemporary African governance systems, policymaking, human rights, and democracy within Africa’s legal and political systems. She is passionate about development issues, and specifically, uneven power dynamics and socio-economic changes that result from state-led ideas of development. Her mission is to champion contextually appropriate sustainable development solutions that factor in the knowledge, practices, and existing socio-economic structures of local communities.
She currently works at Millennium Campus Network as the Development Associate, where she works with the leadership team to shape the organisation’s strategic direction, including fundraising efforts. Kendi has, for 3 years, supported non-profits in their transition to scale by leading strategy and collaboration efforts.