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Rachel Toku-Appiah & Associates, in collaboration with Global Health Visions, is hosting this webinar as the first in a new series on Reimagined Development. With global development aid declining, marked by USAID cuts to Africa, a 7% drop in donor funding, and compounding disruptions from pandemics, climate shocks, and conflict—leaders are calling for bold new approaches.
This 60-minute session will feature panelists offering concise interventions, followed by an interactive Q&A. Join us as we examine how these crises can become catalysts for change, and how development actors across sectors can respond with bold, practical, and locally driven solutions.
Rachel Toku-Appiah is a senior development strategist and founder of Rachel Toku-Appiah & Associates, with over 20 years’ experience leading advocacy, communications and programme strategy across Africa. She served as director, Program Advocacy & Communications (Africa) at the Gates Foundation and has held senior roles at Global Citizen, the Graça Machel Trust, CHAI and the Clinton Foundation, where she led multi-stakeholder convenings, donor engagement and evidence-to-policy initiatives.
As a facilitator she combines deep policy knowledge with practical convening skills, centering African voices—governments, researchers, civil society and young leaders—to surface actionable pathways for locally led development. Rachel is based between Accra and Johannesburg and has a track record chairing stakeholder groups on nutrition and women’s economic power, making her well placed to moderate the Reimagined Development webinar.
Dr. Jeremie Zoungrana is a health sociologist and program manager with over 20 years of leadership in African health initiatives. He is currently Jhpiego Burkina Faso country director, after two years running his own business, but prior to this, he was the country director of the Nigeria office for the Gates Foundation. Before joining the Gates Foundation, he led large Jhpiego health programs across Africa – most recently serving as Jhpiego’s country director in Burkina Faso. (He has also been country director in Tanzania and Rwanda, and managed projects in multiple West/Central African countries.)
Jeremie will speak on reimagined development from a practical country perspective, drawing on Burkina Faso’s recent experience: even before the USAID cuts, Burkina’s coups had already disrupted aid flows, forcing local leaders to “do things differently” to sustain progress. He will describe how Burkina Faso has begun innovating its development strategies and accelerating key programs under these constraints (early outcomes and lessons).
Dr. Julietha Gosbert Tibyesiga is a medical doctor and public health specialist with over six years of experience focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, as well as health policy research. She currently serves as the executive secretary of the Medical Women Association of Tanzania (MEWATA), and as a program officer for the National School Health and Nutrition Programme at the Ministry of Health, Tanzania, where she leads efforts to integrate SRH and mental health services into school systems and supports pre-service teacher curricula reform for Comprehensive Sexuality Education.
Dr. Tibyesiga contributes to national adolescent health policy through her work on the Ministry and UNICEF technical working groups and has helped develop national guidance for school health clubs and adolescent primary care outreach. A 2024 Mandela Washington Fellow and participant in CARE International’s Young Women Leadership Program, she brings strong leadership and policy experience. She will be the youth voice on the panel, offering recommendations and clear entry points for governments, donors and NGOs seeking to strengthen youth inclusion and sustainability in development.
Dr. Ntuli Angyelile Kapologwe is the newly appointed director-general of the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC). He holds a PhD in Public Health and has extensive experience in Tanzanian health systems – for example, he was director of Health, Social Welfare & Nutrition Services in Tanzania’s government (2017–2024) and served as regional medical officer and district medical officer. He has authored 70+ publications on health financing and service delivery.
In the webinar, Dr. Kapologwe will discuss how health development is being reimagined in the ECSA region. In particular, he will draw on insights from ECSA-HC’s recent events (the 15ᵗʰ Best Practices Forum and 31ˢᵗ DJCC held in Mauritius on 4–6 August 2025). Those meetings – under the theme “Enhancing Health Systems for Equity, Resilience and Sustainability” – brought together ministers, experts and partners to share innovations and formulate concrete recommendations for strengthening African health systems. Dr. Kapologwe will highlight key outcomes (e.g., calls to bolster primary care, local pharmaceutical production, workforce investment, etc.) and how ECSA countries are acting on them to build more resilient health systems.
Moky Makura is a leading voice in the movement to shape how the world sees Africa – and how Africa sees itself. She is a storyteller and a narrative strategist and currently serves as executive director of Africa No Filter, an advocacy organisation dedicated to reshaping how the world sees Africa – and how Africa sees itself.
Moky has worked as a TV anchor, actor, producer, author and publisher. She is the author of Africa’s Greatest Entrepreneurs, she created Nollybooks, a popular mass-market fiction series adapted into films for the South African broadcaster, e.tv. Moky was the African anchor for Carte Blanche, one of South Africa’s most respected news shows, and starred in the hit series Jacob’s Cross.
She previously served as head of communications for Africa at the Gates Foundation, and led communications at the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Today, she speaks globally about narrative, the creative industries, media, development and the power of storytelling to influence perception, investment, and policy across Africa.
To learn more about how GHV partners with organizations working in African development, please reach out to Managing Director Aubrey Cody at aubrey.cody@ghvisions.com
To learn more about how Rachel Toku Appiah & Associates partners with organizations working in African Development, please reach out to CEO and Founder at rachel.oppong@gmail.com
