Nairobi, Kenya — August 2025
Y-ACT, Amref Health Africa, is proud to announce that Winnie Olwal, our Regional Programme Lead, has been selected as an AstraZeneca Young Health Programme (YHP) Scholar 2025 and one of the winners of the covetedOne Young World Lead2030
Challenge.
These two global recognitions highlight Winnie’s outstanding leadership in advancing youth-led tobacco control advocacy across Africa, and amplify the critical role of young people in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being.
Driving Youth-Led Change in Tobacco Control
Tobacco remains one of the leading causes of preventable death, and in Africa, young people are increasingly targeted by the industry. Winnie has been at the forefront of resisting this trend by:
- Building coalitions that unite youth movements against tobacco influence
- Leading intergenerational dialogues that bring young people and policymakers to the same table
- Strengthening youth advocates with the skills and networks needed to influence policy decisions
Through her leadership, African youth have moved from being passive stakeholders to active co-creators of solutions in health systems and policy spaces.
Recognition on the Global Stage
As a YHP Scholar, Winnie joins 15 other changemakers from around the world who are tackling health inequities, non-communicable diseases, and rare conditions in their communities. Her recognition as a Lead2030 Challenge Winner, alongside Jakub Gietka from Poland, provides further opportunities to scale youth-led health solutions, while joining the YHP Impact Fellowship for access to global networks, mentorship, and leadership development.
Learn More
Read about the whole 2025 Young Health Programme cohort here:
Learn more about the Lead2030 Challenge here: