At 14, Ebele Mogo moved to Canada from Nigeria. At 19, she had completed a masters degree in Global Health and Public Policy from the University of Edinburg. And by the time she turned 25 last year, she bagged a PhD from the Colorado School of Public Health. The award-winning scholar, who wears two caps as Principal, ERIM consulting and President, Engage Africa Foundation speaks with HANNAH OJO.
Ebele Mogo’s Instagram page portrays the image of a young lady in love with fashion and adventure. With a part of her bio reading “always (over) thinking, laughing and imagining,” she comes across as being more than just a pretty face.
Her sterling performance in the West African School Certificate Examinations in 2005/2006, earned her the Chevron/Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) award for best Science student in Nigeria. With a first degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Waterloo, her resume on LinkedIn also boasts of other outstanding academic achievements.
Asked if she always had a magic wand for success or how lovely it is to have a magic wand, she responded with a smile, making way for the hallow place on each of her cheeks to come into view and said:
“For me, it has been a lot of working hard and building my resilience when I face challenges and all I want to do is give up. It is a combination of both our natural proclivities, hard work and having a supportive ecosystem that allows us to be the best we can be. In this case, I would say I am naturally very driven and curious, which has contributed to my success,” she stated.
She credits her family, friends and teachers as being part of the ecosystem that has made her who she is. She also attests to being inspired by great achievers.
Experience with global health organisations
In 2014, Mogo was honoured with the International Women Achievers’ Award (IWAA) in the academics. Her selection was not based on her academic achievement alone, but also the impact of the work she has done with global organisations such as UNIFE, WHO and the impacts of Engage Africa Foundation, a not- for-profit organisation she founded four years ago.
In 2015, she worked as a technical consultant with UNICEF on a regional research project focusing on health sector planning and budgeting in West African countries. She also worked with the Urban Health Governance Team of the World Health Organisation Centre for Health Development in Japan. Her advice to young Nigerians aiming to gain work experience with global organisations would be to take advantage of access to the internet and also build relationships with people at these organisations in order to become a part of their professional network.
Suggesting more tips, she said: “Since email is the typical form of communication, make your email polished and thoughtful and show that you have done your research. Get some valuable experience under your belt, whether it is by interning, volunteering in your community, or taking a job that may be basic, but will give you the experience you need to start off with. It also helps to surround yourself with great people and thinkers, people with integrity and big dreams.
Fighting non-communicable diseases
With the Engage Africa Foundation, Mogo works with a team of volunteers and medical experts to fight non-communicable diseases through the implementation of research, health promotion and advocacy.
Asked about the high points she has experienced with her works in the foundation, she beams as she recalled running health promotion projects with different communities in Lagos.
“We educated them about conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cancer and on how to maintain healthy lifestyles and monitor their blood pressures and BMI. We also ran a mobile health project in collaboration with Dr Damilola Alawode at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido -Ekiti to educate doctors on teaching their patients about physical activity.
“We did a training session with the Young Town Planners’ Forum of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners on healthy urban planning. We also started a web-based health education channel on Youtube as well as our blog series which educate people on chronic disease prevention.”
This year, she revealed that the focus of the organisation would be to work on health promotion materials that people can easily download to learn about how to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases. Added to this is a policy research project aimed at making recommendations to African countries on how to strengthen their health systems so they can better deal with the epidemic of non-communicable diseases.
“We aim to do the best with the human resources we have and always hope to find more sponsors, volunteers and partners to be able to do more,” she enthused.
With ERIM consulting, she and her team work on supporting health organisations with applied research, content development and policy analysis.
Family background and parental influence
Only the deep can call to the deep. There is no gainsaying the fact that parents are the ultimate role models to their children. Mogo does not fail to emphasise that her parents have been a great source of support. She recalled her father working through mathematics problems with her in SS1 as a student of Tendertouch College. She also described her mother, a Doctor of Ecotoxicology, as an exceptional woman who worked hard in her field of environmental science and also infected all her children with big dreams and confidence.
“My father, Sir Uchenna Mogo and my mother, Dr Chinwe Mogo, have been a great source of support for me. They raised us to never see any problem as inherently difficult and always built us up with their words. Without their sacrifices I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I had.”
Raised by a father who supported her Mum to be all she could be, it is not surprising that Ebele is not preoccupied with the thought that remarkable achievements at a young age can intimidate men in the aspect of marriage.
“If you truly love someone, rather than be intimidated by them, you would want to help them be their best and they would do the same for you. Same goes for any relationship, even friendship.
“For me to think people are intimidated by me, I must think I have done so much. However, I never think I have done so much because I am always thinking of what I still hope to do. I think marriage can be a beautiful partnership based on mutual love and a commitment to help each other grow to be all they can be. I was raised by a father who supported my mother to be all she could be including getting her PhD in ecotoxicology. He celebrates every single one of her achievements, always boasts about her, brainstorms with her, and is her close friend. She does the same for him as well.”
Fashion, Leisure and Writing
Mogo enjoys writing poetry, non-fiction and short stories. She attended the University of Manchester Creative Writing Summer course in 2009. She blogs on www.streetsideconvos.com, writing on the interviews she had with strangers in the cities she had lived with. She has also authored an e-journal titled Courage and Clarity.
“Writing is a way for me to think clearly and explore ideas, use my imagination, and express myself. I enjoy it very much. I remember when I was little; I would write songs and teach them to my siblings. I hope to have some more work published this year and to write more now that the doctorate is out of the way. So yes, people should keep an eye out on more publication from my stable,” she gleefully announced.
Having travelled several countries including Canada, the United States, England, Scotland, Japan, Brazil, and done a road trip in the company of her Mum along the West Africa coast; she credits Japan as her most fascinating travelling experience.
“Japan is fascinating because it is a very developed country that doesn’t have English as its lingua franca. It had this mix of technological advancement and yet valuing its own culture. It made me imagine an alternative future, where African countries were developed, but rather than speak English as a lingua franca, they speak our indigenous languages and perpetuated the best of our customs. I also found the Japanese very hospitable and they had sweet teeth like me, and amazing food. I didn’t have as much time to explore Japan as I would have liked. The 2011 earthquake occurred when I was there, limiting my travels and I hope that one day I may visit again.”
With a glistering ebony skin and a signature red lipstick, does she have a fashion fetish? “I am not sure what my fashion fetish is”, she swiftly responded.
Speaking further, she said: “I like looking good and when I have a big presentation to deliver, I wear my lipstick and outfit of choice and I step out of the house, knowing that I can take on the world. I also enjoy styling my afro in creative ways. “
Of leisure, she likes to travel, take pictures and go on long walks with music in her ears. She also loves cooking and likes to have friends over to eat,” she quipped.
