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Webinar: Faith-Based Health Systems Building Trust in Sub-Saharan Africa

A healthcare worker listens to a child's heartbeat using a stethoscope outdoors.

In many countries, faith-based health facilities provide a substantial share of essential health services, particularly in rural and underserved areas, yet their contributions remain underrecognized within formal health care systems. 

This webinar will examine the role of faith-based health systems across Sub-Saharan Africa, drawing on Islamic and Christian perspectives and frontline health care experience. The discussion will also consider the ongoing Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, where faith-based health facilities are key actors in the response.

Date: Friday, June 12, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m. (Washington, D.C.), 2:30 p.m. (London), 4:30 p.m. (Cape Town)

Ibrahim Bola Gobir is an assistant professor at Georgetown University, field resident director for West and Central Africa at the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, and chief executive officer of Georgetown Global Health Nigeria. 

Nkatha Njeru is the chief executive officer of ACHAP, a regional faith-based health organization that brings together 43 Christian Health Associations and church health networks across more than 30 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen health systems and improve access to quality healthcare, especially for underserved and hard-to-reach communities. Through its member networks, ACHAP supports over 10,000 faith-based health facilities that in some countries provide between 30% and 70% of health services.

Emanuela Parotto is a clinical consultant with CUAMM, an Italian non-governmental organization dedicated to strengthening healthcare systems across Sub-Saharan Africa through partnerships with local hospitals, health centres, communities, and universities. She also works as an anaesthesia consultant at Padua University Hospital in Italy. Alongside her clinical and global health work, she is a PhD candidate at the Global Surgery Institute in Dublin, Ireland.

Nate Smith is an infectious disease physician and Executive Pastor at Trinity Anglican Church. Previously, Dr. Smith served as the Director and State Health Officer for the Arkansas Department of Health, and President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. In these roles, he led a variety of public health programs and services across Arkansas, including immunizations, chronic disease prevention, and outbreak response. He also has experience with medical missionary work in Kenya, where he contributed to reducing HIV prevalence through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Derek Yach is a South African-born global health leader, has spent decades spanning WHO, private sector, and nonprofits, driven by faith-rooted purpose. He championed integrating spiritual well-being into WHO’s health definition and now brings that vision to CMMB’s cancer and NCD programs, seeing faith-based organizations as trusted community health levers. Derek will highlight two linked ways faith based organizations advance health in Africa: as trusted providers serving up to 40% of people seeking care, and as powerful proponents of integrating spirituality into NCD and mental health services to improve population outcomes.