Buhari’s aide Maryam Uwais appointed into Bill Gates Foundation group

Maryam Uwais

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has appointed Maryam Uwais as a member of an advisory group to accelerate progress of the sustainable development goals (SDG).

Uwais is the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on social investments.

The foundation announced the appointment in a statement on Wednesday, stating that the group was formed to help shape the direction of ‘Goalkeepers’, an initiative dedicated to accelerating progress on the United Nations SDGs (Global Goals).

“The Goalkeepers initiative uses powerful stories, data and partnerships to highlight progress achieved and bring together a diverse range of leaders to address the world’s major challenges,” the statement said.

Members of the group are drawn from Nigeria, China, France, Germany, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Other members of the group are: Hervé Berville, member of the French National Assembly; Kathryn Finney, founder and managing general partner, Genius Guild and Kristina Lunz, co-founder and co-executive director, Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy.

Also on the board are Prajakta Koli, content creator and actor, MostlySane, Shan Huang, deputy managing editor, Caixin Media, Thoko Elphick-Pooley, executive director, Uniting to Combat NTDs and Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, medical doctor, OurEquity.

The advisors will serve for a period of two years.