Advocacy in Action—Uniting Emerging Leaders to #BeatNTDs

On Wednesday, July 25th, 2025, the Mwele Malecela Mentorship (MMM) Programme and the Global Institute for Disease Elimination’s (GLIDE) Injaz Fellowship jointly hosted a webinar titled "Advocacy in Action—Championing the Elimination of NTDs." This collaborative session brought together mid-career professionals mentees from the MMM Programme and fellows from the Injaz Fellowship for a shared learning opportunity focused on advocacy. The webinar featured keynote speaker Ms. Yacine Djibo, Founder and Executive Director of Speak Up Africa, who shared her leadership journey and powerful insights on how bold, locally driven advocacy can help accelerate NTD elimination.

More than a knowledge-sharing session, this joint webinar was a compelling demonstration of the power of narrative, intentional networking, and locally rooted leadership. By aligning two fellowship models focused on mentorship and impact, the session also emphasized the importance of building a unified community of purpose, one that is equipped to influence policy, mobilize resources, and drive action from the ground up. 

Why this collaboration matters

Progress on NTDs often stalls not because of lack of but due to the absence of compelling community-centered narrative. In this context, advocacy must go beyond awareness raising; it must reflect the realities of those most affected, amplify their voices, and build the coalitions needed to influence systems and policy.

By bringing together MMM mentees, Injaz fellows, and a seasoned advocate like Ms. Yacine Djibo, the webinar created a powerful platform for learning. It centered African leadership and community-driven approaches, offering a model of advocacy that is not only strategic but also inclusive and authentic.

An African-Led Model: Advocacy Rooted in Listening and Empowerment

In her keynote, Ms. Djibo emphasized that advocacy is not an accessory, it is the engine of change. She spoke about founding Speak Up Africa in 2011 in response to the urgent need for African-led narratives and solutions. Rather than acting as an implementer, Speak up Africa positions itself as a facilitator of dialogue, amplifier of voices, and enabler of policy and resource mobilization, at local, national and global levels.

Key takeaways from her approach included:

• Listening before acting – Start by identifying advocacy gaps and co-create solutions with partners and communities.

• Shifting the narrative – Center lived experience and community leadership in response strategies.

• Creative campaigning – Initiatives like the No to NTDs campaign uses sport, youth, culture, and social media to make NTDs more visible, relatable, and actionable.

• Leverage key moments – Events such as World NTD Day and the Kigali Declaration offer key advocacy opportunities to align local priorities with global commitments.

• Building broad coalitions – Mobilize civil society, youth influencers, media, and regional bodies to create sustained pressure and policy change.

Her central message: advocacy must be bold, creative, and inclusive, rooted in local realities, but oriented toward collective impact.