Population Council Research that makes a difference

Population Council Selects Babatunde Ahonsi
to Direct Its Nigeria Office

ABUJA, NIGERIA, and NEW YORK, NY (7 May 2010) — The Population Council has selected Babatunde Ahonsi, Ph.D., as its country director for Nigeria. Ahonsi will also serve as an associate in the Council’s HIV and AIDS program.

"Babatunde Ahonsi is an exceptional social scientist with a wealth of academic and practical experience aligning closely with the Council’s three programs—HIV and AIDS; Poverty, Gender, and Youth; and Reproductive Health," says Council vice president Naomi Rutenberg. "We are delighted to add his skills to the Council’s resources."

Ahonsi will provide both technical and managerial leadership to the Nigeria office’s portfolio of work across those areas, with a particular focus on HIV and AIDS activities, which are the largest component of the Council’s work in Nigeria. He will ensure that the Council’s research, training, and technical assistance activities in Nigeria continue to be of high quality and are communicated effectively to promote impact at the policy and programmatic levels. He will also oversee fundraising activities to build the Nigeria programs and will represent the Council to donors, development partners, policymakers, collaborating agencies, NGOs, and government institutions.

Ahonsi most recently led the research program, donor funding, and shaping of the reproductive health agenda in Africa at the Women’s Health and Action Research Centre in Benin City. Prior to that, he worked for eleven  years at the Ford Foundation where he managed its West Africa sexuality and reproductive health/human rights grant portfolio. Among his accomplishments during his tenure at Ford, he facilitated the adoption and rollout of Nigeria’s National Family Life and HIV Education Curriculum, the establishment of HIV reference laboratories and clinical research centers, and the engagement of people living with HIV in the national- and state-level responses to the HIV epidemic.

Ahonsi also brings more than a decade of research and teaching experience at the university level and has a strong interest and background in institutional capacity building, co-founding a children’s and women’s rights NGO, Human Development Initiatives. He received his Ph.D. in population studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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About the Population Council
The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees.

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Media contacts

Diane Rubino: drubino@popcouncil.org; +1 212 339 0617