Desta Lakew serves on the Executive Management and Senior Management teams of Amref Health Africa leading Global Partnerships and Global Communications divisions for Africa. In this role, she has secured high level strategic global partnerships for Amref Health Africa, raised the profile of the organization, and leads the thought leadership agenda of the organization. Her leadership role has included working closely with global partners and key stakeholders in Africa to advance public health priorities for the region. She was instrumental in the establishment and leadership of the bi-annual Africa Health Agenda International Conference. She has also been instrumental in launching a global south dialogue knowledge exchange platform on Universal Health Coverage in Africa and Asia; and the launching of various campaigns including the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Campaign in Africa and Communities at the Heart of UHC global advocacy campaign.



Desta serves on several global committees including the Thematic Working Group on Private Sector of Health Systems Global, the Future of Global Health Initiatives, the Global Patient Think Tank, and the Global Health Equity Group. Desta holds a Master of Public Health from the State University of New York.