About us

What we do

Our aspiration is to be unparalleled in lifting African actors to drive equitable and sustainable change towards healthy and thriving African societies.

We champion African leadership, connect changemakers, and advocate for accountability to turn commitments into real, measurable results.

Every initiative we drive, from malaria elimination to sanitation and gender equality, is rooted in one belief: strong systems and collective action create lasting impact.

Our work cuts across sectors and challenges, because we understand that strong, resilient health systems are essential to achieving universal health coverage.

We convene

We bring together diverse stakeholders to elevate the issues that matter most to our continent and turn attention into action. By uniting governments, civil society, academia, media and private sector leaders, we amplify African voices, align on shared priorities, and catalyze coordinated responses that move the needle now—not years from now.

We enable

We equip our partners with the technical, financial and strategic support they need to drive lasting change in their own contexts. Through data, tools, mentoring and visibility platforms, we help organizations test, prove and scale solutions that are rooted in local realities and owned by communities.

We advocate

We work alongside leaders in government, the private sector, civil society, media and global institutions to secure policies and investments that endure. By shaping agendas, mobilizing resources and demanding accountability, we help turn commitments into measurable progress for health and sustainable development across Africa.

Our Value Proposition

We work across countries, cultures, and contexts to achieve shared goals

Dakar, Senegal is our home. But we are equally comfortable on a football pitch in Abidjan, at Ministry of Health offices in Ouagadougou or in a board room in Geneva. For more than a decade, we have built trusted relationships with governments, public and private sector leaders, media, civil society, research institutions, regional bodies, international organizations, and donors. Providing us the access, reach and networks to make an impact.

We know Africa. We can tap into local expertise and innovation.

We work from a deep understanding of the lived realities behind the health and education challenges we seek to solve. From, limited sanitation and clean water, lack of access to women’s hygiene products, the suffering caused by malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). For us, these are not abstract issues. They shape health, dignity, safety, and opportunities across the continent. That is why we work alongside the communities and leaders building the solutions to these challenges.

We champion our partners and advocate for those whose voices are underrepresented.

To the women, men, and young people whose lives are shaped by health and education inequalities, we are trusted partners for change. We listen, learn, and work alongside communities, businesses, governments, media, research institutions, public health experts, and civil society to back their leadership and help turn their solutions into longer lasting progress. They are leading the change Africa needs, and we are proud to amplify their voices and impact.

Our Reach

West Africa

Based in Dakar, Senegal, our solid relationships with key decision makers, uniquely qualify us to drive policy change and advocacy across the region.

Francophone Africa

Our connection and coordination efforts among French-speaking African countries advance shared priorities and amplify collective impact.

Africa

Our work spans the continent, catalyzing systemic change in health, equality, and sustainable development.

Global

Our approach elevates African perspectives to shape the frameworks that drive sustainable progress worldwide.

Our Story

Speak Up Africa was founded with one clear conviction: lasting solutions to Africa’s most pressing challenges must be imagined, led, and owned by Africans themselves. Since 2011, the ambition was to work with actors at every level of society to design and implement effective, sustainable responses to the issues shaping people’s lives.

Together, co-founders, Yacine Djibo and Fara Ndiaye, were deeply engaged in malaria prevention and control. Working across West Africa, they saw a critical gap: too many public health responses were imported or generic, and too few were tailored to the specific realities, data, and priorities of each country and community.

They set out to change that. Drawing on their strategic, communications, and partnership-building experience, they created a platform that could connect governments, civil society, the private sector, researchers, and communities around concrete, locally grounded solutions.

What began as a small office in Dakar with a team of three has grown into a respected advocacy organization. Today, Speak Up Africa brings together a team of around 30 experts who have implemented projects in more than eight countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Niger, Senegal and Togo. Including hosting the Coordination Unit of the Ouagadougou Partnership, a West and Central African initiative improving access to quality family planning services.

From our base in Dakar, we continue to connect voices, ideas, and action, working every day for a healthier and more sustainable Africa.

More about our team