Dr. Obinna (Obi) Onyekwena leads infectious disease advocacy work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He oversees a portfolio of investments to advance financing and policy goals related to HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Before joining the foundation in 2023, Obi spent 10 years at the Global Fund in Switzerland, where he led efforts to shift priorities and policies to advance HIV innovation and delivery across Africa and Asia. He began his medical career at a secondary hospital on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria, and went on to support the Nigerian government’s response to HIV, TB, and malaria.

Obi’s earlier positions included associate director of monitoring and evaluation in FHI 360’s Nigeria country office. In that role, he led a team that supported the government in strengthening the use of data to reduce the impact of HIV, TB, and malaria by expanding and strengthening services across high-burden regions. He also led studies to understand district-level platforms for decision-making on maternal and child health in Northern Nigeria.

Obi earned his medical degree at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and has a Master of Science degree in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.