Dr Uzo Iweala

Nigeria

Occupational Information

Job Title: CEO of The Africa Center

Professional History

Dr Uzodinma Chukuka Iweala is the Chief Executive Officer of The Africa Center, a non-profit based in New York.  Although he has a medical degree, Uzo has had a career as both a medical doctor and writer.  By having a presence in New York, the Africa Center provides a gateway for engagement with contemporary Africa, the African diaspora, and the role of people of African descent in the world. It seeks to serve as a hub for the exchange of ideas around culture, business, and policy related to the continent, and in the spirit of collaboration and engagement with individuals and institutions who share the Center’s values. The mission of the organisation is guided by a leadership team that includes Board Co-Chairs Chelsea Clinton and Hadeel Ibrahim, and Board President Halima Aliko Dangote.

Previously, Uzo was the co-owner of Ventures Africa Magazine and was the Acting CEO of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria. He is also a co-founder of Txtlite Nigeria Ltd, a company that provides pay-as-you go solar solutions across Nigeria.

Uzo was a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University when he worked on a new novel about Washington, D.C. entitled Speak No Evil. His first novel, Beasts of No Nation, was released in 2005 to critical acclaim, and won numerous awards. Beasts was translated into 12 languages and selected as a New York Times Notable Book. It was been adapted as a major motion picture staring Idris Elba. His second book, Our Kind of People, a non-fiction account of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, was released in 2012 in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Qualifications

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, September 2011- July 2012:
Fellow; Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons New York, NY.;
M.D. 2011; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Programme

2015 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship

 Additional Tags: Medicine, Clean Energy, Environmental Sustainability, Health Delivery, Human Rights, Youth Development