Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, has been announced as a 2018 Eisenhower Innovation Fellow.

Dr Umar-Sadiq is the only Nigerian selected as part of 23 ascendant global leaders from around the world who will embark on a leadership journey across the United States to engage in transformative exchanges of ideas with leading innovators in their fields; and bring action-oriented solutions back to their countries.

The 23 Eisenhower Innovation Fellows are acknowledged by their outstanding and unique achievements in their various fields and are creative visionaries and disruptors who are working to make the world a better place.

Recognizing his pioneering work in developing the Nigeria Health Innovation Marketplace (NHIM) and fostering public private partnerships to shape health markets alongside business and public sector leaders in Nigeria, including Mr. Aliko Dangote, President/CEO, Dangote group; Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate; Mr. Jim Ovia, chairman, Zenith Bank; Mr. Aig Imoukhuede, President, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Mr. Herbert Wigwe, CEO, Access bank.

Muntaqa’s Eisenhower fellowship will focus on models to scale up gains from the NHIM and integrate an impact investment fund aimed at accelerating early stage health innovations; and investing in exemplary financially viable health innovation ecosystems that serve the health poor and underserved in Nigeria.

Eisenhower Fellowships Chairman and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, in a statement said that the Eisenhower Fellows will apply what they learn from their peers and in their engagements with experts in their respective fields to maximize their potential and produce sustained impact long after their fellowships are completed.

“We welcome these exceptional global leaders into the dynamic global network of Eisenhower Fellows around the world who are working to enhance international understanding and generate a positive impact in their countries,” said Gates. “This remarkable group of change agents is committed to solving some of the most pressing global issues of our day,” said George de Lama, president of Eisenhower Fellowships.

Dr. Muntaqa was the Senior Technical Advisor to the former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria.

He commenced his career as a healthcare M & A investment banker at Morgan Stanley in the UK where he focused on the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical sector. He is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, England and Imperial College School of Medicine in London, and also a holder of Chartered Alternatives Investment Analyst (CAIAI) charter. Dr. Muntaqa was also honored as a 2016 World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader (YGL).