Dr Aminu Magashi emerges Global Co-convener of COPASAH

By Haruna Gimba

At a one day post symposium meeting after a successful COPASAH Global Symposium in New Delhi that lasted from 15th to 18th October 2019, the Global Steering Committee has approved the nomination of Dr Aminu Magashi Garba as its Global Co-convener with immediate effect.

Dr Magashi will be working side by side with Professor Abhjit Das the current Global Convener over the next one year that will witness a successful transition of COPASAH secretariat from India to Africa.

Community of Practitioners in Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASAH) is a global community where practitioners who share an interest and passion for the field of monitoring for accountability in health interact regularly and engage in exchanging experiences and lessons; sharing resources, capacities and methods; in the production and dissemination of conceptual, methodological and practical outputs towards strengthening the field; and in networking and capacity building among member organizations.

It is in that light that COPASAH had over 500 practitioners, activists, professionals, and researchers from over 40 countries gathered in New Delhi from 15th to 18th October 2019, for the Global Symposium on Citizenship, Governance and Accountability in Health. The Symposium provided an opportunity for sharing experiences and concerns and devising fresh strategies for strengthening the engagement of marginalized communities as empowered citizens in health systems governance. The symposium had also on the 18th October adopted a Charter and Call to Action for Social Accountability for Health during its practitioners assembly.

In his acceptance speech, Aminu Magashi who is currently the Coordinator of the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria thanked sincerely the Global Steering Committee for the confidence and committed to do his utmost best with self-accountability and self-transparency and affirmed to work as a team to take COPASAH to the highest level.

He also hopes to see the emergence of Regional Symposiums in the 4 regions of COPASAH being organized in 2020 and to also organize the next Global Symposium in Africa hopefully either in 2021 or 2022.