Dr Mairo Mandara is an obstetrician-gynaecologist, and public health physician with more than three decades of experience advancing maternal, newborn, and child health across Africa. Renowned for her leadership in public health, philanthropy, and policy advocacy, she has worked extensively with governments, donor agencies, civil society organizations, and global foundations to improve health outcomes and expand opportunities for women and girls. 

Dr. Mandara has held several high-profile leadership roles, including Country Representative in Nigeria for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. She also served as a Senior Fellow with Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), where she supported the localization of programmes in Africa and led advocacy efforts focused on severe acute malnutrition and girls’ education. Earlier in her career, she worked as Health Systems Adviser for the Earth Institute at Columbia University, supporting health systems strengthening initiatives in Nigeria. 

A respected voice in reproductive, maternal, and child health, Dr. Mandara possesses deep expertise in strategic planning, programme implementation, family planning, and health systems strengthening at national and community levels. Throughout her career, she has built strong partnerships with government institutions, donor agencies, traditional and religious leaders, media organizations, and civil society networks across Africa, enabling successful high-level advocacy and policy engagement. 

Dr. Mandara is the Founder and Board Chair of Girl Child Concerns, an organization dedicated to improving the health, education, and empowerment of women and girls. She is also widely connected with networks of African women leaders championing gender equality and opportunities for women and girls across the continent. 

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to public health, Dr. Mandara was conferred with the Fellowship by Distinction by the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians. She trained in medicine at University of Jos and practiced as a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, Nigeria. 

Dr. Mandara is also a Visiting Research Professor at the University of Health Sciences and a Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. She serves as a member of Nigeria’s national working groups on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition (RMNCH+N).