Dear Mansagian,
Can you believe it, it’s Christmas! It never fails to amaze me how quickly the festive season descends upon us. As I write, members will be putting final touches to their end of year activities. It may be the Christmas Carol services, a relaxing break from work or perhaps a flight away to a winter sun destination. Whatever you do or wherever you find yourself, I am certain it will be a fun.
2025 is the first full year of the ninth executive committee of MANSAG. As we reflect on our work this year, I believe we have made progress in several areas as we continue our mandate to embed mature processes in our organisation. The website redesign is complete with new and exciting features. We have reinvigorated many of our regional chapters in the past twelve months. We have strengthened our welfare and professional advice committee and supported many members successfully this past year. I am pleased that we now have a much easier process through our website for registering and subscribing new and existing members. We are currently collating the details of our members’ professional roles so we can ensure everyone is matched to their right professional network within our organisation. It is gratifying that our membership has almost doubled in 2025 and I welcome again all new members who joined us this year.
This past year has seen MANSAG introduce its pioneering partnership framework with businesses and organisations in both Nigeria and UK. As I wrote in a previous blog, our partnerships is one of mutual benefit. These businesses support us with some funding so we can provide services and activities for our members usually at much discounted rates. In turn they participate in our activities to inform us of what they can offer and as members we can use those services if we choose or inform our networks to do so.
Our Diamond partners include Cruxstone – Real Estate developer that offers properties for sale and for time share rentals in Lagos, and a variety of discounted concierge services if you are visiting Nigeria; SESOGLOBAL – Real Estate Investor that offers properties for sale in West Africa and a variety of discounted concierge and hotel services in Nigeria. These partners will also give MANSAG a commission should a member buy or invest in any of their properties.
Our Platinum Partners include LEMFI the popular App for money transfer services. LEMFI is offering a £10 cashback to any member and another £10 to the member’s chapter funds for any qualifying transaction linked to your regional code. Some members will already be familiar with their regional codes; others will come on stream very soon.
We also have Gold Partnerships with GMC-UK – Supporting our members with professional welfare issues, training on cultural safety and on prescribing knowledge for newly registered members; EURACARE Nigeria – Providing discounted rates for our members for premium world class medical services in Lagos; AIR PEACE giving our members discounted flight ticket prices to Lagos or Abuja from London; and Mercy Ships – An organisation that supports our members to contribute to better global health by volunteering (at no cost) to provide lifesaving health services to patients in Africa.
Our bronze partners include My i-Clinic London who offers support for our members in London to use their facilities free of charge and Trustcrow a boutique FinTech company that does the leg work for you for a discounted fee if you choose to invest in real estate in Nigeria. More partners like Zenith Bank, Access Bank and Providus Bank are also coming onboard in 2026. Please email info@mansag.org if you would like to access any of these benefits.
2026 will be a busy year for MANSAG as we continue our programmes to strengthen health systems and build health work force capacity through our Regional outreach activities in the UK, and SCALE framework and STAR* Initiatives in Nigeria. In addition, we have coordinated with other global medical diaspora associations to partner with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare (FMOHSW) and Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to implement a Nationwide Diaspora Health Impact Initiative. This initiative will be flagged off by the Hon Minister of Health in 16 -27 July 2026 as part of the National Diaspora Week Celebrations.
As part of the Diaspora Health Impact Initiative, MANSAG will be leading a programme on improving Maternal and Neonatal Health in partnership with Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Initiative and Innovation (MAMII) programme. We will be starting our work in the Northwest Nigeria and then rolling this across the country over the next three years. If you have the skills for training primary health care workers in obstetric and neonatal emergencies please email info@mansag.org to express your interest and we will surely get back to you This is a unique opportunity for our members to make a positive impact on the unacceptably high maternal and neonatal mortality in Nigeria.
At the 2025 Annual General Meeting, we held a debate on the status of fee-paying members who were not medical doctors and their participation in the election of MANSAG Executive members. As the constitution stands, non-medical members do not have voting rights for Exco committee elections. The members at the AGM indicated that the entire membership should be given an opportunity to decide on this issue. In 2026, we will be inviting each registered member to consider this issue and vote on whether members who are not qualified medical professionals will be able to vote for members of the executive committee at the three yearly election cycle.
And finally,
It is a feeling of immense pride to feel the sense that together we are transforming ourselves as individuals, our communities, and our nations. We are doing this through our commitment to our shared values of Mentorship and support for each other so we can aspire to greatness in our professional careers, by being Inclusive of all healthcare professionals of Nigerian Heritage under one umbrella, by extending our vast Networks so it benefits each and every one of our members and by aspiring to Excellence so that together, we make a positive impact on the health needs of our communities in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. It is these transforming values of dear organisation that make me believe that truly, MANSAG is MINE.
From my family to yours, I wish you and your loved ones a relaxing, fun-filled and wonderful festive season. And please do join me for an exciting and exhilarating journey together in 2026.
Until next time,
Remain blessed
Jide,
Dr. Jide Menakaya
President, MANSAG
#MANSAGisMINE