Dr Folake ONI is a seasoned development consultant, medical doctor, youth development advocate, and public speaker currently serving as a Principal and Director, Business Strategy and Transformation at Sydani Group.
Folake ONI’s work in development focuses on health and human capital development. She leads Sydani’s work across human resources of health, health policy and planning, leadership and governance, business development and innovation, and youth entrepreneurship and employability. A strong advocate for equity and social justice, Dr Folake ONI led the design of technology-enabled solutions to (1) improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls of reproductive age in IDP camps in Abuja, and (2) to reduce sexual assault and intimate partner violence disproportionately affecting women in IDP camps in Abuja. She led the contextualization of the 1st ever demand-side strategy for health investments in Nigeria for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Before joining Sydani, Folake ONI held senior positions with the Solina Centre for International Development and Research where she led the technical assistance to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in the design and launch of the 1st ever National Primary Health Care Leadership Development Academy, and before that with Health Systems Consult Limited where she served as one of the strategic consultants to the Federal Ministry of Health in the finalization and launch of the 2nd National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP II), led the development of contingency plans and insurance models for outbreaks and emergencies for the African Union, and provided technical oversight to the development of the policy and implementation framework of the Nigeria Supply Chain Integration Project.
Whilst in the United Kingdom, she acted as the Deputy Business Manager for Newcross Health care Solutions, where she liaised with the NHS UK, Clinical Commissioning Groups, and social services and facilitated the accreditation of her operational branch by the care quality commission within six months of inception. Before that, she served as a business development consultant for the College of Phlebology, where she strengthened its financial management processes, and facilitated the success of its 1st International Veins Meeting.
Folake ONI is one of 30 women across the globe recently awarded the pioneer Forbes Ignite Impact fellowship award for designing Artificial Intelligence and Technology-enabled solutions to health care challenges. Along with her team, she designed a web-enabled interactive dashboard – called SocialImpact – for measuring the success of impact investments and innovation in healthcare.
As an entrepreneur, she founded Renewed Minds, an initiative focused on promoting youth creativity and innovation, employability, and entrepreneurship. She sits on the board of Ecoways Limited, a PMI accredited training institute for project management. She is on the faculty of the African University of Science and Technology.
Folake ONI holds an MBA from the Surrey Business School, UK, a Post-graduate certificate in International Health from the University of Arizona, USA, and a medical degree from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria.