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wonderful. Let's get started with the afternoon session. We had a an absolutely outstanding morning, didn't we? I'm going to ask you too. Finish off your discussions so that you can for cause on the conference. That's okay, Right? So let's get Let's get started, then. So this half to noon, then it's about a pass it e building. Um are those once on a flight to one of the African countries and there was a gentleman who was traveling along with me. Who was that next to me? He was a consultant psychiatrist from Scotland. So we struck up a conversation and I asked him, you know what he was up to And he told me the story and he said that he was on the way to this country where they're both on association of psychiatrists. Okay, but there were two members in that association because that's all the country had. Now one of the consultants, a catalyst, was mostly doing private work, which then went the remaining psychiatrist was actually serving 99.9% off the population. Okay, the entire population of that country. So clearly there was a capacity problem in that country, so he was going there to provide some assistance with that. So I ended up asking him, What are you're aims? And he said, Well, I've got to aims on the way that he framed those two aims was truly fascinating, he said. My first came is to help with the Association of Psychiatrists to build up capacity, so he wanted to help with the training and so on, and that was going to be as part of a the masters in that country. But the second game, the second aimed, he said, is to get out of the country at the earliest opportunity. Uh, but he said, I wish to help them with the training, and then I wish to make myself obsolete. Okay, so capacity building is the way that you do that. You need to go and do the great work that you were doing. That's completely fine. We all understand that great work needs to be done, but with every project that you are doing, you need to ask yourself, how do I make myself obsolete? So that is the lesson that I took away from this gentleman. I thought it was really profound, because whatever you are doing. David is doing an amazing work with sepsis, but David will not cure maternal sepsis. It is what he leaves behind the people that he lives behind. The team that he leaves behind that will continue to advance the agenda. So capacity building is absolutely central. And here is my request. My plea to all of you in every project that you are doing in every program that you are doing. There is the capacity for you to do capacity building, right? So ask yourself, you know, who can I find in the setting here in the UK all with your local partners out there in the country in home Can you invest, invest in a meaningful way in a sustained way through teaching and training? But going beyond that with mentorship on coaching right in such a way that you can make yourself obsolete. Okay, so this is my plea to you. So this afternoon is a bad capacity building, and we've got some great talks, starting with a keynote lecture by Professor. Today is a gala times a day, who I consider my a friend, a friend off. I had the privilege really off being in northern Nigeria in cardio at your facility recently, Huh? These are on. Really? You know what an inspiration you are to me and to all the others who work with you. So in terms of head is a had his eyes. The founding director off the African Center for Excellence for Population Health and Policy on you lead a multi disciplinary team had is, um, on your delivered on over 20 studies in the short life off off your I haven't unit. And that really goes to show how brilliant you've you've done your work with wh show fee go. You work with the University of Birmingham and we are involved with a program called Emotive. And the moment at the moment and I can see how you work in practice on the ground on Dino. That capacity building is right in the core off your DNA. So we're really delighted to hear from you about how you go from humble beginnings to do two a great place. Thank you. Okay. So thank you very much for that introduction, and definitely, I hope you know, I'm going to be obsolete a soon so that at the end of the day, the center will be functional, even without me on a bus. That's my age. Um, well, ofcourse, thank you very much. Glory A conference organizer's for inviting me on. Um, you know, initially, they said I should choose a topic, you know, on capacity building on, do you know, sharing the experience off our center? And I I was looking for Ah, you know, a topic that would really, you know, give me an opportunity to share the experience on after a while, you know, they sent me this, you know, from small beginnings, a great impact. And I said, Great. Actually, that is You know, that is the topic I want to talk about because it gives me opportunity really, really share my our experience in the African Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy. So this is going to be my up line. Just introducing what a spot is all about. Talking about capacity building in terms of post graduate training on then how also training our faculty and supporting them how we're doing capacity building in terms of shots, courses on our research activities on a lot of capacity building in the research activities on of course, all academic pattern is and at the end of the d, a conclusion. Now this is African center of Excellence is actually situated within the College of Health Sciences. Buyer invested Cano um Byron Vesti car know is one of the not the oldest, you know, teaching hospitals in Nigeria. Ah, but amongst this second, I think the second, um, the second group off universities in Nigeria. So we have the older ones like, ah, how much Belly inverse t University of the Body. And they're 60 70 years old. But this I think about 30 40 years old. Eso we are with them by reinvesting cannot now African center off excellence is a World Bank supported center. Oh, it started. You know it started with the A centers. You know the faith first a centers about eight years back, World Bank decided to support Africa to improve the way we are trained up. His graduate students on do encourage regionalization eso African students can move around with in the region so we don't have to come to the west or two to the east to do post graduate training. Eso they supported our countries are various countries. You know to give them funds so that they will encourage groups within the country's university groups that can establish good centers that can encourage training as well as impactful Research. Now that was the first is in night in 2020 18. They brought out another call for the second A Centers, and they call them a PSA. Impact on. That was when, you know, I decided to get a group off, you know, colleagues to sit down and write a proposal to establish this center getting the funds from World Bank. So we had over 154 applications toe World Bank on. At the end of the day, we were among the 17 in Nigeria that got actually seven in Nigeria on a cross board, I think about maybe 25 across Africa that actually got the grant so that they will establish a center off excellence. So we were actually a lunch in Djibouti in 2019. Unfortunately, just after that, we had covered on therefore, you know, we had a lot of challenge of actually taken up the the centers, but finally I think we're we're we're walking and much almost running now with the with the vera centers. Eso upwards our vision. Our vision is actually to be a sent off excellence in population. How research and development in Africa on our mission is actually to produce killed human resource for health with the focus of conducting in actual research toe achieve health related sustainable development Gold through Lincoln research findings to policy implementation. We noticed that a lot of us have a lot of publications, actually, but we do publications, you know, to be promoted at the end of the day, you know, you publish and then you're promoted your now professor, and that's the end of the But you don't really have impact based on your pop publication. So now we said we're going to do probably, I mean research just because of publication. We want to do research that will actually have a policy implementation or policy, A you know, decision. So that we moved. We moved, you know, one step further from research to turn a research into policy, which is called the drip d r I P. Turning research into policy. So that's actually our goal. So for us to conduct post graduate training about weight training, our trainees toe actually be able to do one impactful research to make sure they turn their research into policy dimensions. So we identified at, you know, stg three. And I think we've been talking about, you know, maternal mortality, you know, since yesterday related to a cesarean section. But I come from, you know, sub Saharan Africa, where we have the highest maternal mortality rates, uh, in the globe. And actually, unfortunately, you know, the 2017 wh a World Bank. A document is saying that Nigeria actually is the highest in terms of numbers off maternal that nobody we contribute about 17% of the global maternal maternal death. Now, this is a figure that all of us are in Nigeria want to see a change. And especially in Africa, we really want to see a change. And if we're going to have any impact in stg three which talks about Madonna off also talks about malaria toe back loss is HIV a swell as mental health? Then we need to address you know, this statistics in sub Saharan Africa, because at the end of the day, we're not going to get the results as we have seen in mg five that we really didn't get the results that we need it. So this is based on the statistics that we all have. As I said, you know, a sub Saharan Africa contributed 64% of the global maternal death. And Nigeria, as I said, the single, you know, country contributing the highest numbers cereal alone, having the highest MMR. And you're talking about child mortality as well. You know, in Guinea Bissau, in Nigeria, anemia is a major problem in sub Saharan Africa. You're talking about nutrition stunting in some in some of the countries you have standing as I as 57.7%. You know, these are all VHS, you know, statistics in Nigeria, about 36.8% off. Our Children are stunted and western. So So the statistics are really, you know, frightening. And you really want to do something to see that it is addressed. And when you talk about tobacco losis to talk about malaria, you talk about HIV were also taking the brunt off the you know, problem. So how do we How do we intend or having Did we decide? You know, we're going to tackle this population off issues in Africa. On DWI started, we felt, you know, when we do education as very has said capacity building. So we need to improve the capacity off our healthcare workers off our policy makers off our women so that at the end of the day, we address this issue also through doing research. You know, a lot of the research as as this morning, you know, when they were talking about the use of antibiotic, you know, single dose was this research done in high income countries. And now I want to be implemented in low middle income countries not going to work because the stents, that is a totally different. So we need to do some of this research in our own set in so that we can find, you know, the problems are be able to implement the problems, then off course with the research, you know, policy dialogue, the policy implementation. You do outrageous on with this way hoping we're going to reduce maternal mortality. We're going to do reduce child mortality. We're going to improve nutrition. On the end of the day, we're hoping we're going to have an impact in ST G three. So this other departments, you know that the makeup of the center. So we have medicine department who have committed minutes, and we have We have ups and gynie. We have pediatricians amongst us. We have psychiatrist amongst us. We also have the biochemistry, especially because of nutrition on. Then we have the nurse and department. So the seven departments make up, you know, the African Center of Excellence. So we started by producing and creating new move programs, new post graduate programs. All right, so we're doing masters in public health, nutrition, public health, nutrition and policy. Masses in global half A policy masters in maternal child health and policy masters in public, mental health and policy. A masters in public, off nothing on policy. So all our problems are associated with policy. So because we as I said, we want to be able to do research, that we can translate it. Uh, policy. We have also started, You know, having a PhD were great in the PhD for this master students. But the master, the master's program, we've had to probably already have had two sets of students s. So we started 2019. We didn't have our first set because off of it and so on until 2020 2021. And now we have 23 to 1 2022 students. The first set of students who had 54 post graduate 52 for post gathering students. And we have regional students for the first time where having students from seven countries in our universities to do masters. So we have students from Senegal, from Cameroon, from Syria, Leone, from ***, from Uganda, from Kenya on in the second set, I was amazed that we had 40/40 applications from original students, which means you know where we're getting across to the to the region. People are coming out to come on down steady with us. And right now we have students extent students from 10 African countries that I dream hour post graduate programs now part from, you know, within the programmer also improving skills. So we have a skill acquisition lap where we train out storing this Avonex a students that were training, you know, on skills. So is not just theoretical. Just sitting in class and gene, you know, learning. You also have to do practical as skill acquisition on then Because of the various research that we're doing, we're having to, you know, train research assistants. In one of our research in the motive research we're doing are we have over 163 search midwifes that are walking in 40 health facilities. So this 116 mid wives are trained, you know, in various, uh, you know, skills. And that is also capacity building. Now this this students, especially the original students. We provide sponsorship, We provide support for them. I mean, I've benefited from a shipment scholarship coming to you, k to do my masters in London, schooler off topical medicine and hygiene. So, given, you know, our original students opportunity also. So we're given them to shun fees were paying for their tuition. We're giving them accommodation. We're giving them step and a month lease. Depend the those that are speaking French. Because you see, in West Africa, almost 10 of the countries as a French speaking Onda Nigel rays, English speaking. So we have to teach our French students you know English so that they can communicate. So a lot of them, you know, land English with us on Of course, when they they One of our requirement is that they do internship, so we sponsor them wherever they want to do. Intention. We have the funds to sponsor sponsor them as well as support their their dessert issue. We also support Africa Little training. I've gone two Israel to Galilee, you know, institute to learn on project management on We have sent quite an above A faculty to also do that We have sent we sent support people for National, regional and International Conference is World Bank gives us that support to be able to support them as well on then off course to go for conferences to go for training. So if you have an effect culti than it's training and he identifies, you know, a guy up in whatever his chicken and there is a cost Chicken place. The center was a partner fickle t to go for such a training. And then, of course, also the faculty. I encouraged to go for intention because another thing is that we want to, you know, bridge the gap between you know, the academia. A swell as the industry as well as the community. So we have you know the triple hallux or now they're even talking about the card report, Alex. So that at least there is communication Not, but you know well, in ivory towers as I could emissions and that's all. But we need to get to the community as well as they are. The industry in health industry is a problem, you know, even define what an industry is for us is really a challenge for doctors and nurses. Off course, I industry is ah hospital, but you're talking about, you know, pay tens, trying to find painters trying to get, you know, companies and industries that can now, you know, move your Peter out to the next level. We've done a lot of sharp course is, um, the last count, which is, I think, since beginning of the year, we had trained about 158 you know, tree knees in shot horses are short. Courses are usually a 40 hours shot. Courses we don't grant right in walks shops with the leadership and mentoring walk shops. We've done training on statin with don't implementation science workshops. We've done our statistical training walk, shop on a lot of others, and we collaborate with people to do this. Walk ships. We have, ah, you know, collaboration with one developed university. United States. We have collaboration with Kenyon Universe, a Kenyan, which is Kenyon Medical Research Institute to conduct some off. This a research is I mean, some of this training. I've done a lot off, you know, training jury in our research, like, you know, the motive research. We've done a lot off training, straining for the healthcare workers, you know, on implementation and so on. Now, what are the other activities within the two years that will be in with been established with actually published? 100 publications on some of this publication are really off course. The publications have to be in high impact journal journals. If not, ah, World Bank would not even accept it. And the World Bank, you know, support is what we call the disbursement linked support. So we don't get our money until we have achieved ago. Until we have achieved an indicator. So for every publication we do, we get money. So they say that maybe we have $6 million in five years, but we don't get that $6 million until we have achieved an indicator. One of the indicators is publication for every publication we get money for every conference we go, we get money for every training we do, we get money for students. We, uh we admit into our programs, we get money. So that's how we get our money. So the money is not given to us. We don't retire money actually do achieve a goal, and then the money is given to us. Um, some of the publications wave with heart is one of the command publications that we did with Oxford University. Actually, we participated in the coverage, the global cover, it resized. That was done. And, you know, the publication is a covered in pregnancy. And at the end of the d, I think the publication was used as one off the reason for even advocating or recommending for vaccination for pregnant women. We also also tried to go digital to do the learning. So we're establishing a model Elhanan system, the World Bank. It's also training us on how to, ah, good to digital education, especially because off cover it. We realized that we couldn't give lectures anymore because we have face to face so now, while undergoing training so that we can now a make our lectures online on, um So this is in collaboration with other other institutes, like Mohammed uh, Polytechnic University, Morocco, on the p l E P. Uh, institute. Now, in terms of research. What have we done? Ah, what are we doing? One of our major big research. The way dream is the motive research with We've had about a much from yesterday to today, and I'm always proud to say that out of the 80 facilities globally that are doing emotive, Nigeria is 140 off those ah, you know, facilities s. So that's why I said in each facility we have for midwifes that are walking around the clock to give us a quality sauce. Very five data on their four have ah, 100. That's 40 times what it has 160 midwives that are walking on the emotive in Nigeria. We've had a lot of training's on right now. We have finished with a baseline on. We're already at the intervention a day intervention line, and this is one of the research that we're proud of because at the end of the day are findings are going to change. You know that you know you can actually manage post partum hemorrhage in a bundle approach and prevent it from getting too severe BPH and therefore from the high morbidity and mortality associated with it. We'll also have the I've on trial, which is untraditional versus oral iron for iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women, which is an open label. Randomized controlled trial is a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a research on with that. Also we have about 10 sides across and where we're doing a lot of work. And with this, if we're able to find out that intravenous iron is better than aural iron, we're going to, we're going to move. I head towards change in the policy and the guideline for treatment because right now we only have or all hematinic for our treatment off. I mean, I'm pregnancy, but this will want to provide. It works, and then we will move with the policy makers where we started with the policy makers because I say implementation science aspect of it. We also have the Rockefeller Research, which is looking at tracking covered 19 infection in West Africa. Other toe guide policy. Intervention on this is a multi center, multi country. We have about five African countries that are part of it, you know, and many a centers that are part of this Ah group off researchers as well. And we actually were able to sequence even the covet viruses that we identified in in In our in the region, in another Nigeria On with that were given policymakers information so that that they will be, you know, informed decisions by the policy makers. And that's what that's what the center is all about. Now also participated in the w o l C G ah, you know, project where amongst the four countries that actually tried the LCG um tried the LCG and we published about three people's on that and also we're looking at how we can, you know, move the LCG which is the level care guide. You know, beyond just a research to to now replacing Ah, you know the pattern half or being used, you know, alongside the patent grafts, because off all the other things we've talked about support off, doctor. But you know the issue off, you don't have to progress one centimeter per hour and so on. We're also involved in the wh er step mark trial, which is magnesium self. It instead of using, you know, the preacher it or there's a spam, a regimen we're now thinking off, you know, just a 22 doses injection for magnetism, for for severe preeclampsia. So when I am does this s so we're trying that the new the shorter cost, which is the two doses I am verses the preacher, which is almost We all know the challenges off given preach at especially low middle income countries so that if you prove that that works, then more women will have access to actually prevent in them, you know, developing a clumsy Well, we're also part of the wh your MPD for Q e g trial, uh, which also has huge detailer. We feel that a lot of information on another analyzing this detail, be able to give us, you know, information that we can actually a change a policy. Well, we're collaborating with a lot off. We're collaborating with a lot of other partners across Africa. We recently a month ago, where in Kenya, where we signed on mou with seven universities in Kenya. On on they can die is the Kenyan Nutrition Dietetics Institute on. We're collaborating with them supporting them also with capacity building as well as you know, doing impactful research with them. So we have signed the um Oh, you have already started talking. That's my vice Chancellor is signing the MOU with other Vice Chancellor is in Kenya now. We have a lot of, you know, collaborators. In fact, when I was looking at this list, I said, this is just 30% of those that we collaborate with, uh, Camry University of my career A your Uganda measure Cairo and then talking about international Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford, A chef filled, um, you know, Vanderbilt University. But Baylor University, us and most of this, you know, collaborators were either done a research off, you know, capacity building with their with their support, other other facilities and other things were doing in the center Still just support capacity building as well as impactful. Research is that we're trying to establish, you know, the library facilities where it could be in our laboratories where we're having a sequencer a soon coming in because where center We have different groups working at different levels. I'm not a molecule a person, but I have a group off, you know, colleagues that are under the center that are into Mollica. Uh, you know, molecular res like so we're having a sequence that in the in the lab. And that would be the second soup inside, I think in Nigeria. So we'll be able to give a lot of support for any research that involves that on then were upgrading hours skill acquisition lab so that we can do more, more skill, a position for our trainees, and then off course, we're encouraging our faculty because this is extra work on. You know, you have a lot of challenge with colleagues, but we're trying as much as possible to encourage them. And with that, we'll also recognizing and appreciating, you know, uh, had working for culti so that they'll be encouraged to walk more. So, ladies and gentlemen, this is a little you know, information about our center on is a young African sent off excellence, and we're focusing on good partnership and collaboration, you know, for the purpose of improving knowledge on conducting impactful research for Africa, sustainable development. Thank you very much amazing took. You're trying to develop the critical service, the research capacity on also providing education, medical education. So really, you're trying to address that from a very comprehensive vantage point. Any questions for had a PSA from the room over here. Microphone. Thank you very much, Doctor Had These are for such a lovely presentation. I was just wondering if this policy's have also impacted other sub Saharan countries Or is it just Nigeria? Okay, so our aim is ready to go beyond Nigeria. And that's why we have students that are from outside, you know, Nigeria. But for example, the emotive research that we're doing, we're not only affect Nigeria or Africa, but we're hoping you to be a global impact because at the end of the day, the findings well, you know, change policy globally eso beyond in Nigeria and Africa. And we're hoping that when we train, you know the students that are from the various region, so they're research. We encourage them to do research off, you know, problems in their country s so that if there's any findings, you know, from that research, the way we will have trained them to go a step higher on How do they translate that? Their findings in their country so that they can have, you know, policy dimensions to eat. So we're hoping is going to be beyond tonight year. Thank you. Do you have any questions online? No questions, but lots of very positive comment saying Thank you. Impressive. Excellent talk. Yeah. Thank you. So surely inspiring. Thank you.