Conference speakers

Mr. Samuel Kwakye is the Mental Health Coordinator for Ga East Municipality and serves as an adjunct lecturer at Health Concern Ghana.  He holds an MPhil in Nursing from the University of Ghana, Legon, a BSc in Nursing from Central University and a Diploma in Mental Health Nursing (Distinction). He is also a trained lay counsellor specializing in marriage, family life, and sex therapy.

I am Ibrahim Babangida Lawal, the Chief Executive officer of Digital Data Clinic. A Nigerian Statistician from Katsina State currently serving as an expatriate with the Prevention of Drugs and rehabilitation agency in the Republic of Seychelles.  With a B.Sc. in Statistics from the University of Abuja and an M.Sc. in view, I bring rigorous quantitative expertise to public health and drug demand reduction initiatives as a member of ISSUP.

Brian Maila, BScHB, MBChB, MMED (Psychiatry), MSc (Addiction Studies), is a psychiatrist and PhD student in the SDSU–UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use.

Health Economist and Health Financing Specialist; Policy, Strategy and Planning Manager, Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).

Dr. Mutuku holds a Doctorate in Economics and has over 15 years of experience in health financing, project management, and econometric analysis, with a focus on HIV and health systems strengthening.

Justus Otieno is a dedicated Pharmaceutical Technologist with over 15 years of professional experience in healthcare service delivery. He currently serves the Methadone Assisted Therapy (MAT) clinic in Shimo La Tewa Prison, where he specializes in the dispensing and management of methadone treatment for clients with opioid use disorder. Justus holds a degree in Community Health, which has strengthened his commitment to delivering patient-centered care and promoting preventive health strategies within vulnerable populations.

Tim is an experienced academic, educator and freelance consultant specialising in the law, social sciences and professional practice training landscape. With 25 years’ experience spanning the probation service, police, charity sector and academia, Tim combines real life experiences and stories with academic research to inspire and develop practitioners working in front line roles to better understand the people they seek to support.

Abdul-Latif Umar Mohammed holds a BSc in Earth Science from the University for Development Studies. He is a youth development advocate from Yendi in Northern Ghana.