WomenLift Health’s 2027 Southern Africa Leadership Journey Program

Published: August 13, 2026
Deadline: September 18, 2026
Category:
Eligible Locations: Angola Botswana Lesotho Malawi Mozambique Namibia South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe Africa

Applications are currently being accepted for the WomenLift Health’s 2027 Southern Africa Leadership Journey Program. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.

About WomenLift Health’s Southern Africa Leadership Journey Program

The WomenLift Health Southern Africa Leadership Journey is a fully funded, 12-month leadership development programme for mid- to senior-career women leaders working in health across Southern Africa. Fellows receive experiential learning, mentoring, executive coaching, peer networking and support to develop a Health Leadership Project while building the skills needed to lead cross-sector health systems change

Sponsor Organisation: WomenLift Health

Benefits of WomenLift Health’s Southern Africa Leadership Journey Program

The WomenLift Health Southern Africa Leadership Journey combines several learning and development components.

In-Person Immersion Residency

The programme includes an intensive in-person Immersion residency in Southern Africa.

This provides participants with an opportunity to learn through direct interaction, reflection, collaborative exercises and experiential leadership activities.

The Immersion residency is scheduled for April 2027.

Virtual Learning

Fellows participate in regular virtual learning touchpoints throughout the programme.

These sessions allow participants to continue developing leadership skills between the in-person residencies.

Virtual learning can include:

Leadership development.
Peer learning.
Reflection.
Systems thinking.
Collaborative problem-solving.
Application of leadership frameworks.

Group Mentoring

Group mentoring provides fellows with access to shared learning and guidance.

Participants can learn from experienced leaders while also benefiting from the perspectives and experiences of other women in the cohort.

One-on-One Coaching

Individual coaching supports each fellow’s personal leadership development.

Coaching can help participants examine their leadership strengths, challenges and goals while developing practical approaches to professional growth.

Health Leadership Project

Each fellow develops a self-directed Health Leadership Project.

The project provides an opportunity to apply leadership concepts to a real-world health challenge or opportunity.

It is intended to help fellows translate learning into practical action and create meaningful impact in their professional environment.

Lift-Off Residency

The programme concludes with a second in-person experiential learning residency known as Lift-Off.

The Lift-Off residency is scheduled for March 2028 and will take place in Southern Africa.

The residency provides an opportunity for fellows to reflect on their leadership journey, share learning and strengthen connections developed throughout the programme.

WomenLift Health’s Southern Africa Leadership Journey Program Requirements

You are eligible for consideration if you meet all the following criteria:
- Identify as a woman
- Demonstrate fluency and confidence in both written and verbal English communication. This includes the ability to articulate emotions, participate in reflective dialogue, engage in complex interpersonal conversations, and integrate leadership development concepts throughout the Journey.
- Are a citizen who resides and works within the following country/countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, eSwatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
- Live in CAT (+/-1 hour) time zones for at least 75% of the program as we believe time zone compatibility is essential to your ability to participate at the touchpoints and to engage with your peers within and outside of the sessions.
- Are a mid-career leader with 10–25 years of work experience in health++. WomenLift Health defines Health++ as the recognition that sustainable improvements in health require coordinated action across interconnected fields that shape and enable health such as climate change, food systems, agriculture, water and sanitation, education, economic policy, gender equity, and technology.

WomenLift Health is committed to selecting diverse cohort members, representing different sectors (public, private, academia, NGO, philanthropy), disciplines, and cultural backgrounds, etc.
Should you have any questions related to the above, and more especially whether you meet the criteria or not, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] and we will respond for any clarification.