Meet Aniekan Michael Ekpenyong

Aniekan Michael Ekpenyong is a recent graduate of pharmacy from University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom state and an exceptional one at that. Though young, Aniekan is growing to be a strong influencer in global health issues.

He works as the head of Global Health Pharmacy projects at AB Global Health Initiative, an organization headed and run by young medical professionals across Africa, passionate about building and raising a community of global health leaders in middle income and low income countries.

He is the national coordinator for the Global Health Pharmacy certificate course, an innovative course that introduces pharmacists to global health, while advocating for increased participation of pharmacists in solving global health challenges.

He is also a founding partner of Pharmacare Initiative, another NGO run by young pharmacists in Sierra Leone, committed to providing a platform for advocacy and development of pharmacists and other health professionals in Sierra Leone.

Aniekan is the Policy coordinator for the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF) where he works alongside other members to develop policy statements, interventions and joint statements for the organization which are usually presented in international health gatherings such as the World Health Organization, WHO Executive Board Meetings and the World Health Assembly. He is the first African to occupy that position.

He is an active member of the Uyo hub of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Hub.

Awards and Achievements

He won the International Pharmaceutical Federation FIP Young Pharmacists Group YPG Professional Innovation Grant in 2016. The award is usually given yearly to a young pharmacist to carry out a research in any field of pharmacy which would be beneficial to the profession and society at large. He would be seeking through the research, to obtain insights on the current capacity of the workforce with respect to number of pharmacists, distribution per pharmacy sector and availability of pharmaceutical expertise in the 36 states of the federation. This would aid in identifying any existing gaps in the workforce, taking into consideration disease patterns and key human resource for health metrics. Results of the findings will add to the evidence base on the state of the global pharmacy workforce. It will also inform recommendations and facilitate national policy planning to address deficiencies.

He recently organized the first ever Certificate Course in Global Health Pharmacy in West Africa which had Professor Don Eliseo Lucero Prisno III of the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (LSTMH), London as the course lecturer. The course was held at three Nigerian universities, namely, Ahmadu Bello University which hosted pharmacy schools from the northern region of Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife for the western region and University of Port Harcourt for the southern and Eastern region. It’s aim was to mainstream medicines and drugs into central discussions in global health as well as highlight the role of pharmacists in addressing global health challenges. The course recorded over 600 participants including pharmacists, pharmacy students and other healthcare professionals..

Passion

He believes that Africa can only be developed by Africans. Therefore, as an African, his passion is to contribute his quota to the development of Africa, using his profession as a tool in achieving his goals. He draws inspiration from the everyday individuals both young and old who are working on ambitious projects to better the environment and people around them.

He hopes to seat on decision making positions in relevant health organizations, in order to properly influence decisions which would be in the best interest of Africans and further better the health and welfare of her citizens.

Desire for the Nigerian Young Pharmacists

His desire for every young pharmacists is to become problem solvers irrespective of the field they find themselves.