Organizer: WomenLift Health

Application Deadline: 31 January 2026

Location: Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Senegal

Opportunity Type: Fellowship

Program Duration: May 2026- April 2027

Program Type: Midwifery Leadership Journey

Overview 

WomenLift Health, in partnership with the Women in Leadership Advancement Network (WILAN), is launching a 12-month Midwifery Leadership Journey to strengthen the leadership capacity and networks of mid- to senior-career women advancing midwifery and maternal and newborn health (MNH) across Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.

The Journey will convene leaders from clinical care, education, regulation, policy, research, and innovation to connect, lead, and drive change for respectful, high-quality care for mothers and newborns. Midwifery women leaders will enhance leadership competencies, gain from coaching, peer learning, and opportunities to champion high-impact MNH innovations and become change agents for better health care for mothers and newborns.

In this fully funded, 12-month Midwifery Leadership Journey, we provide mid- to senior-career women advancing midwifery and maternal and newborn health with a safe space to explore their authentic leadership through vulnerability and reflection; an inclusive, cross-country network that fosters a strong sense of belonging; and tools and strategies to strengthen their voice, presence, and influence—all while being supported by a powerful group of peers, advisors, and coaches.

Participants engage in two in-person experiential learning residencies (Immersion and Lift-Off), in addition to virtual learning touchpoints, virtual group mentoring, virtual one-on-one coaching sessions, and importantly, a self-directed Midwifery leadership project.

Upon completion of the Leadership Journey, participants will become “Global Fellows”, who will be part of a lifelong network of allies at local, regional, and global levels who continue to support each other and new cohorts with their time, talent, and treasure, and to advocate for women’s leadership.

Fellowship Elements

Blended Learning: Learning Touchpoints are facilitated, virtual and in-person group sessions. Cohort members explore leadership frameworks, research & tools in highly interactive learning touchpoints and workshop-style sessions focused on dynamic practice. The touchpoints focus on personal & professional growth, relevant topics and priorities for health leadership, as well as their Leadership Projects. These sessions allow the cohort to share with and learn from each other.

Virtual Mentorship:Effective women leaders are championed by a network of strong supports, including that of mentors. We identify senior-level leaders from different backgrounds, health sectors, and disciplines to serve as mentors to the cohort. Mentoring groups, comprised of several cohort members and one mentor, are grouped based on complementary backgrounds and professional trajectory. Cohort members will be able to rely on their mentor as a technical and career resource during the Journey.

Virtual Coaching: Cohort members are paired with an executive coach who works one-on-one with them to build on their strengths and address areas for growth. Leadership style assessments, including a “360-degree evaluation,” will inform these conversations and enhance each participant’s understanding of their own leadership skills. With this gift of feedback and support from their coach, participants can decide which leadership competencies to focus on, paving the road for them to be a more powerful and effective leader. 

In-Person Residencies: The ‘Leadership Immersion’ is a 3-day experiential convening that takes place a few months into the Journey. Through dynamic discussions and hands-on exercises, cohort members enhance their skills, apply them to real-world examples, and reflect on lessons learned. A series of powerful conversations will complement the instruction, featuring eminent figures in global health who have led transformational change. The 2-day ‘Leadership Lift-Off’ event at the end of the Journey celebrates the cohort’s growth as they ‘lift off’ to a new phase of their leadership. Cohort members will reflect on their leadership evolution through the course of the year and present their leadership projects to their peers as well as other global health audiences.

Benefits 

• All program costs, including travel and lodging, are covered.

Eligibility/Requirements

You are eligible for consideration if you meet all of the following criteria:

• Identify as a woman
• Are Mid to Senior Career Leader: has 10-25 years of work experience
• Are a citizen who resides and works within the following 4 countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria.
• Participants must possess strong written and verbal English skills that go beyond basic or technical communication. This includes the ability to articulate emotions, participate in reflective dialogue, engage in complex interpersonal conversations, and integrate leadership development concepts throughout the Journey.
• Notes / guardrails:
  • This is a leadership program (not clinical skills training).
  • We aim for disciplinary and geographic diversity across the cohort; inclusion of midwifery allies is to advance research and practice.
  • Non-midwife applicants are welcome if their role materially elevates midwifery practice
• Primary portfolio advances midwifery and MNH, demonstrated through one or more roles below (public, private, academia, philanthropy, NGO/nonprofit, or multilateral):
  • Clinical & service delivery: Registered midwives (active license), nurse-midwives, ob-gyns, pediatricians/neonatologists, senior nursing leaders; service line, hospital, or network managers (public or private).
  • Education & workforce: Deans/faculty of midwifery/nursing schools; pre-/in-service training directors; CPD/curriculum leads; simulation/skills-lab leaders.
  • Regulation & professional bodies: Midwifery/nursing councils, accreditation/standards agencies, professional associations.
  • Policy, programs & systems: Government MNH leads; NGO/INGO program directors; quality-of-care & respectful maternity care leads; data/monitoring & evaluation heads.
  • Financing & payers: Health insurers/HMOs, purchasers, reimbursement/benefits design leads; payment reform or value-based care for maternity/newborn services.
  • Private sector & delivery networks: Private hospital groups, clinic chains, and provider networks managing maternity/newborn services at scale.
  • Innovation, products & supply: Med-tech, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, oxygen/supplies, and last-mile logistics leaders bringing MNH tools to practice.
  • Digital health & social enterprise: Telehealth, decision-support, workforce platforms, registries—product or implementation leaders focused on MNH.
  • Philanthropy, CSR & investment: Program officers, portfolio leads, CSR heads, and impact investors allocating capital to midwifery/MNH outcomes.
  • Research & evidence translation: Investigators and implementation scientists moving evidence into policy/practice.

Commitments and Expectations

• Attend each virtual and in-person learning residency* as detailed in the 2026 Calendar
• Complete the deliverables associated with the Health Leadership Project. 
• The time commitment for the required Leadership Journey activities ranges from 8 to 10 hours each month, except for the months of the in-person residencies.
• Please ensure you have access to a computer and the Internet in order to attend the virtual touchpoints. 
• Proficiency in English is expected as all sessions will be conducted in English.
• You will also be asked to complete a “360-rater evaluation” and other leadership style assessments

How to Apply 

Applications must include:

• A letter of recommendation from your supervisor. If unable to obtain a letter of recommendation from your direct supervisor, you may submit a letter written by a senior leader at your current organization or a leader in the global health community who has experience working with you. 

Apply Here: Apply

A Note on Using AI to Support Your Applications

We’ve noticed an increase in the use of AI tools in recent applications. Your application responses should be specific, contextualized, rooted in your work or interests, and include clear, realistic goals. If your submission includes vague ideas and reads the same as multiple other submissions this might result in a poor rating and lower the probability of your selection in a highly competitive process. We live in a world shaped by AI, and we welcome thoughtful, transparent use of these tools. But your application should showcase your own thinking, experience, and goals, not what a chatbot can generate.

Important Dates

• Application deadline: 31 January 2026 by 11:59pm WAT
• Applicants notified: March 2026
• Acceptance & Pre-Orientation Period: Late March 2026
• Programme begins: 19 May 2026

For more information, please visit the Women Lift Health official page at:

https://www.womenlifthealth.org/west-africa-midwifery-leadership-journey/#Phases

For More information or questions, please email MidwiferyJourney@womenlifthealth.org