Shinkafi-Bagudu

Zainab is a pediatrician, cancer advocate, and global health leader from Nigeria. She is the First African President-Elect of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) – the world’s largest cancer-focused membership organization, and currently serves as the Senior Adviser to the Honourable Minister of Health of Nigeria.

In her advisory role, Zainab provides strategic guidance on cancer control andnoncommunicable diseases (NCDs), shaping national health policies and supporting theimplementation of Nigeria’s National Cancer Control Plan (2023–2027). She currently servesas the Vice-Chairperson of the Partnership to Eliminate Cervical Cancer in Nigeria (PECCiN).

Zainab is driving efforts to integrate cancer services into the country’s UniversalHealth Coverage (UHC) framework, strengthen partnerships with global developmentagencies, and improve resource mobilization for cancer prevention, early detection, andtreatment.She is the Founder and CEO of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation (MCF), which for over 17 years has delivered cancer prevention programs – HPV vaccination, cervical and breast cancer screening, patient navigation, and cancer research – particularly for underserved communities.

Beyond cancer, Zainab is a strong advocate for adolescent and sexual health, with afocus on school-age girls. She has led comprehensive programs on menstrual hygienemanagement, delivering education and access to menstrual products across multiple statesin Nigeria. Through longstanding partnerships with Procter & Gamble, she has distributedthousands of menstrual hygiene kits, trained teachers as peer educators, and advocated atnational level for reducing or eliminating taxes on menstrual hygiene products to makethem affordable for all.From 2022-2025, she served as the First Lady of Kebbi State and the Chair of the First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC), a coalition of governors’ spouses in Nigeria, Zainab has amplified the fight against cancer at state and national levels.

Under her leadership, FLAC launchedthe FLAC–Roche Cancer Screening Clinics, helped secure a ₦1 billion catalytic pledge to theNational Cancer Fund, and advanced state-level cancer control plans across the country.Internationally, she serves on the Global Initiative Against HPV advisory board, Coalition for HPV and Cervical Cancer (CHIC) steering committee member, Global Ambassador of World Ovarian Cancer Coalition and the World Economic Forum Women's Health Alliance advisory board.

With over a decade of clinical practice in the UK and extensive experience in public health leadership, Zainab is widely recognized for bridging the gap between policy and implementation, championing equity, and ensuring that no woman, child, or adolescent is left behind.