With more than two decades of experience in public health leadership, Dr. Garba Danjuma has become a driving force in Nigeria’s healthcare sector, spearheading policy implementation, strategic health planning, and large-scale project coordination at national and international levels.
A Consultant Public Health Physician, Dr. Danjuma holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)from the University of Maiduguri and a Master’s in Public Health (MPH)from the University of Leeds, UK.
He is also a Fellow of the West Africa College of Physicians (Community Health) and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management. His leadership expertise was further refined at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, where he completed the Strategic Leadership, Ethics, and Policy Making Course (SLEAPM).
Throughout his career, Dr. Danjuma has played a key role in shaping Nigeria’s public health policies and programs. His leadership has been pivotal in executing government and donor-funded projects aimed at improving healthcare access and outcomes.
He served as Principal Medical Officer at Specialist Hospital, Jalingo (now Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo)Centre, Jalingo and Cottage Hospital, Sunkani, where he successfully managed hospital operations and patient care. Later, as Director General of the Taraba State AIDS Control (TACA), he led major HIV/AIDS response initiatives, strengthening the state’s fight against the epidemic.
Currently, he chairs the Taraba State Ministry of Health’s Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and the Taraba State Technical Working Group for Domestic Resources Mobilization for HIV. He also serves as a visiting senior lecturer in the Department of Public Health at Taraba State University, where he mentors upcoming healthcare professionals.
As Director General and CEO of TACA, Dr. Danjuma provided oversight for major U.S. government fund project,, including the Reaching Impact, Saturation, and Epidemic Control (TISE) Project, implemented by Jhpiego, and the Data for implementation (Data.FI) project led by Palladium.
His expertise extends beyond HIV/AIDS programs. In 2018, he was appointed Northeast Zonal Coordinator for the Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) implemented by the Maryland Global Initiative Cooperation (MGIC)and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He led over 359 field officers in conducting household interviews and blood tests, producing crucial HIV burden estimates that shaped national policy.
Dr. Danjuma has championed transparency and accountability in healthcare financing . As Procurement Specialist for the World Bank assisted Health System Development Project II, he managed a $7.5 million state credit ensuring its efficient allocation to improve health services.
His leadership in the Taraba State HIV Programme Development Project II(HPDP-II), another $5 million World Bank funded initiative initiative contributed to reducing HIV prevalence in Taraba from 10.5 percent in 2012 to 2.9 percent in 2018.
A certified procurement specialist, Dr. Danjuma has consulted for the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and National Health Insurance Agency. His contributions include developing procurement plans for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) in three states and leading recruitment efforts for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project across 11 states.
He has also played a key role in policy formulation, co-developing the Taraba State Health Strategic Plan (2018-2023) and the Taraba State HIV/AIDS Strategic Development Plan (2015-2020); 2021-2025). Additionally, he led the Joint Annually Health Sector Review (JAR) Mid Term Review (MTR) for Adamawa State’s Health Strategic Development Plan II (2018-2022).
Dr. Danjuma is a recognized performance based finance expert and was the pioneer state coordinator for the Nigeria State Health Investment Project (NSHIP)in Taraba. He also played a major role in designing the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) Initiative Program for Results, a World Bank supported initiative aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes.
Committed to continuous learning, Dr. Danjuma has completed leadership courses at the University of Washington and the National Center for Professional Development, Dubai. He is also a national facilitator for the Community Health Influencers, Promoters, and Services (CHIPS) Programme and the Community Based Research Innovative Training and Services Programme (CRISP).
Fluent in English and Hausa, Dr. Danjuma has proven himself as a resilient leader, expert negotiator, and thinker in Nigeria’s health sector. His remarkable career in public health governance, program implementation, and research continues to impact health policies across the country.
With a strong record of success, he remains a key player in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare system and improve public health outcomes.