TIME100: Nigeria’s Pate, Ene-Obong, Bako-Aiyegbusi Named Among Most Influential Health Leaders
Three Nigerians have earned coveted spots on the 2025 TIME100 Health list, which recognises the world’s most influential individuals shaping the future of global health.
The honorees include Prof. Muhammad Pate, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare; Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director of Nutrition; and Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, Founder and CEO of global genomics company Syndicate Bio.
According to a statement released Friday in Abuja by Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations Alaba Balogun, the recognition of two officials from the same ministry shows Nigeria’s rising influence in global health policy and practice.
Professor Pate was honoured for his decades of dedication to health equity, system reform, and primary healthcare advancement.
The ministry said under his leadership, Nigeria is implementing transformative health sector reforms focused on improving governance and accountability, enhancing health outcomes nationwide, unlocking healthcare value chains, and strengthening national health security.
A cornerstone of the reforms is the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which employs a Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) to promote strategic coordination among government institutions, development partners, and private sector stakeholders for maximum impact.
Pate’s priorities include revitalising primary healthcare by strengthening frontline facilities and expanding the community health workforce, scaling up maternal, newborn, and child health services to reduce preventable mortality, accelerating malaria elimination efforts including the groundbreaking introduction of malaria vaccines, and promoting local production of health commodities while strengthening the health workforce for national resilience.
Mrs. Bako-Aiyegbusi earned recognition for her pioneering leadership in advancing national nutrition policy and driving systemic food and nutrition reforms.
Her work has significantly improved maternal and child nutrition outcomes and reduced malnutrition among vulnerable populations through evidence-based, multi-sectoral strategies.
Her initiatives include implementing the National Nutrition Policy, rolling out the Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) programme, providing pregnant women with 15 essential vitamins and minerals, expanding large-scale food fortification programs, and advocating for nutrition-sensitive, gender-responsive social protection policies that address root causes of malnutrition.
Dr. Ene-Obong, founder and CEO of Syndicate Bio, was recognised for his revolutionary work in genomics.
He believes genetic testing represents one of the most critical frontiers in modern healthcare and has dedicated himself to conducting millions of genetic tests across Africa through partnerships with governments, companies, and hospitals.
His work aims to address the historical underrepresentation of African genomic data in global medical research, which has limited the effectiveness of precision medicine approaches for African populations.
The complete TIME100 Health list and accompanying tributes will appear in TIME’s May 26 issue, available on newsstands from May 16, and online at time.com/time100health.
TIME100: Nigeria’s Pate, Ene-Obong, Bako-Aiyegbusi Named Among Most Influential Health Leaders is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
