Dr. Kayode Afolabi has an extensive background in the medical field, with a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery, a master's degree in health economics, and a fellowship from the West African College of Surgeons in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He has about 35 years of experience in reproductive and maternal health, during which he worked as a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Adeoyo Maternity Specialist Hospital, University College Hospital, Ibadan, and the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja. He also served as the Hon. Commissioner of Health for the Oyo State Government of Nigeria.

As the Commissioner of Health in Oyo State, he focused on areas such as health systems strengthening, including human capacity development, health financing, and health commodity security. His tenure led to the upgrade of Adeoyo Maternity Specialist Hospital to a maternity teaching hospital.

During his ten-year tenure as the Director and Head of the Reproductive Health Division at the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria, Dr. Kayode Afolabi provided leadership in sexual and reproductive health systems strengthening, government policy development, operations, and implementation research to improve women's health, adolescent health, and the health of children under five in Nigeria. He achieved significant progress in sexual and reproductive health and rights by collaborating with various organizations and partners. His recorded notable achievements on sexual and reproductive health and rights include working with civil society organizations, the private sector, implementing partners, major donors, and United Nations agencies. Outstanding among these are the development of the National Reproductive Health Policy, 2017; the costed National Family Planning Scale Up Plan (Nigeria FP Blueprint, 2014; revised in 2020); the Task Shifting Task Sharing Policy, 2014 and 2018; the roadmap of action for accelerated reduction of maternal and newborn mortality; the Live Saving Skills for different cadres of health care providers; the Nigeria Roadmap for introduction and scale-up of DMPA-SC (Sayana Press©) 2018; the National Self Care Guidelines, 2020; and the Private Sector Engagement Strategy for Maternal and RH. His skills and experience cover demand generation, human capacity development, advocacy, and partnerships. Building with formal and informal actors on SRHR, resource mobilization, and strategic and operational management of complex SRH programmes.

Dr. Kayode Afolabi has extensive skills and experience in knowledge management, including evidence generation, documentation of achievements, and best practices at national and international levels. Dr. Afolabi also has over 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He is the author of the "Policy Compendium on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Nigeria, 2022." He possesses commendable skills in the coordination of development work at the national and subnational levels. He served on the board of directors for several tertiary hospitals in Nigeria, including Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo; the Federal Medical Centre, Owo; the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta; and the National Hospital, Abuja.

Dr Kayode Afolabi retired as a director from the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria, in 2022. Currently, he serves as a consultant to various international development partners, including UNFPA Sierra Leone Country Office, FHI360, Children Investment Fund Foundation UK, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Society for Family Health Nigeria, Solina Centre for International Development and Research, DKT, Nigeria, White Ribbon Alliance, Nigeria and Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation.

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