FAQ Page

The West African Network of Emerging Leaders in Health Policy and Systems (WANEL) is a network of junior and mid-level academics, researchers, managers, policymakers, media, and civil society practitioners based in the West African sub-region.

The network was established in 2015 to support early and mid-career researchers and practitioners in the sub-region to generate and promote the use of HPSR evidence for health outcome improvement in ECOWAS sub-region.

By connecting members across countries, institutions, and disciplines, WANEL creates space for peer-to-peer exchange and learning, supports access to research training, leadership opportunities and links members to related global networks.

WANEL is legally incorporated as a professional association in Accra, Ghana where its secretariat is currently located. Its governance structure is comprised of the WANEL Governance Committee (WGC) which is made up of the Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary and the WANEL Ambassador as the highest decision-making body. This is followed by the WANEL Executive Board (WEB) which comprises of WANEL Country Coordinators and the leaders of the 5 Thematic Working Groups (see the section on TWG for more details). The day-to-day running of the network is managed by the Network Administrator with support from two Project Assistants and a Benin-based Communication officer.

WANEL also organizes periodic workshops and conferences where members from the 15 West African countries converge to discuss issues related to building a critical mass of new generation HPS leaders within West Africa, career trajectories within West African HPS, increasing the voice of emerging actors, and sustainably strengthening needed HPS capacities.

Citizens of other countries are eligible provided they can demonstrate vested long-term interest (work or academia-related) in at least one country in West Africa. Example: A South African working for /in Togo can apply and submit documents justifying interest in West African countries for a certain number of years.

Citizens of other countries are eligible provided they can demonstrate vested long-term interest (work or academia-related) in at least one country in West Africa. Example: An Australian citizen working for/ in Senegal can apply and submit documents justifying interest in West African countries for a certain number of years.

You must have a master’s degree with 2-5 years post-graduation work experience range in health and allied sciences including but not limited to the field of medicine, public health, social sciences, and humanities etc.

First degree holders with a proven experience in health and allied sciences including but not limited to the field of medicine, public health, social sciences, and humanities etc. may be considered.

Yes, if you meet the membership criteria and ready to provide all other requiring documents.

Yes, You must not be above 40 years at the time of application.

Even though you are outside the age limit, you must participate in WANEL activities. We encourage you to fill in and submit the application form so that we can keep your profile and contact you to explore avenues of collaboration.

Above the age limit, your experience and knowledge can be useful for the network members. As such, you can serve as a mentor for members.

You apply to become a WANEL member by submitting the following documents to the coordinator of the country you are applying from. 

• Certificates
• CV (including list of publications or productions)
• Letter of recommendation from a current/previous employer, or an academic institution
• Motivational letter or a reflective piece on health systems issues facing the sub-region and proposed solution.

Members may be required to dedicate between 2-4hours per week to TWG related activities.

Yes, Dues are paid yearly.

There are 5 TWGs in WANEL.

They are:

1. Advocacy and communications
2. Generating and translating evidence to action
3. Supporting health systems strengthening initiatives
4. Teaching and learning health policy and systems
5. The NEXT

1. The Advocacy and communications TWG is responsible for:

• Advocacy and
• Strategic communication based on priority objectives within WANEL.

2. Generating and translating evidence to action TWG is responsible for:

• Research
• Knowledge translation
• Implementation science

3. Supporting health systems strengthening initiatives TWG is responsible for:

• Research
• Knowledge exchange
• Support policy making
• Developing partnership with governments, donors and academia working in HSS

4. Teaching and learning health policy and systems TWG is responsible for:

• Knowledge translation and sharing
• Mentorship
• Identifying and linking contact persons in a particular country with expertise in a particular topic area as a resource
• Networking within countries

5. The NEXT TWG is responsible for:

• Addressing the challenges of unacceptable exclusion of the Francophone community from the global health discourse through targeted capacity building, research and advocacy.

You apply for a TWG of your choice based on your interest and your experience.

Yes, but limited to maximum of 2 TWGs.  This is to ensure that members contribute actively to activities of the TWG they belong to.

General WANEL members are entitled to the following benefits:

• Capacity building
• Training
• Participation in conferences
• Getting information about global conferences
• Abstract reviews
• Mentorship
• Networking opportunities
• Research funding when available
• Career advancement through collaborative research activities and consultancies
• Exchange program