Scholarship / 'the best part of leadership is seen through legacy' - Chevening - Health Policy development [6]

I have always believed the best part of leadership is seen through legacy, no matter how good leadership is, if it has no rock imprint legacy then it does not achieve much. In my career and personal life I have always defined my leadership through the transformative impact i bring to my work, colleagues and the community around me. Throughout my life, I have left a legacy of success and achievement winning various leadership positions and excellence awards even through university. It is the challenges that one faces and how we fight them that define who I am as a leader.

I have always shown tenacity in the face of challenges and showing my best during the darkest hours. In 2014, I was working In Liberia when Ebola broke out, many fled and left the country but I stayed and became a rallying point for my staff, providing essential leadership that gave them hope and courage in an unusual environment, I became the head of the organisation after the senior partner had evacuated, keeping the office open throughout the epidemic, taking jobs that ensured all staff got paid even those who could not come to work and advising NGOs that were handling Ebola relief funds on accountability and transparency in an unusual environment.

Since 2015, through my work in Country X in Sustainable Health Financing, I have worked to promote the critical issue of Universal Health Coverage in Zimbabwe as a key to achieve SDGs by 2030. With the economy spiralling downwards and most people suffering impoverishment when they seek health services, it is critical for policies that ensure financial protection. To this end, I have been part of the team that has led pioneering work in developing Zimbabwe's first ever National Health Financing Policy, as the Secretariat to the process, I have used my relationship and stakeholder management skills gained through years of experience as an external auditor in the public sector to bring together various stakeholders with different agendas to the table and advance this work. Working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care through various Technical Working Groups that have included health donors, NGOs, government ministries, civil society, healthcare providers and funders, as the secretariat it is my responsibility to ensure consensus and unity of purpose.

I am now currently leading work towards drafting of the first National Health Financing Strategy. I believe my strong skills in coordinating and bringing together stakeholders will be critical to the finalisation of the strategy and its implementation. The success of any strategy depends on visionary technocrats who are able to carry out the will of politicians and public leaders. I am strategically positioned to drive this important policy work, with my experience as a watchdog in audit strengthening my input into the design of strong institutions and systems of governance that ensures equity and equality in access to health financing and health care. Having thrust the idea of a National Health Insurance into the bullseye with cabinet approval already obtained for its establishment, I want to return to Country X and use my technical knowledge in designing and fully implementing this new and innovative health financing reform in Zimbabwe.

As a chartered accountant who is leading the breakaway from ordinary private sector jobs towards public sector service in Zimbabwe, I hope to use my skills through innovation or creating policies that allow life changing innovation within the public sector including application of private sector methodologies to create entrepreneurial systems that increase efficiency in public services delivery.

Scholarship / Networking questions - chevening scholarship - Chartered Accountants in health [6]

In my work as a Senior Analyst in Health Financing with xxx, I have built reliable networks within various organisations such as government ministries (primarily Ministry of Health), bilateral and multilateral development organisations such as DFID, USAID, Irish Aid, World Bank amongst others. These relationships have been crucial in driving my work in resource mapping, maternal and neonatal care, health financing policy development and driving for sector wide efficiencies. It is the input and cooperation that I get from individuals I interact with from these major health sector stakeholders that have allowed me to achieve in an organisation that values relationships, networking and humility through service.

As a returning Chevening scholar, I will leverage these existing relationships to further advance my work in health policy reform as most of these organisations are critical players in health service delivery without whose buy-in any health financing reforms such as the proposed National Health Insurance will not be as successful. As a Chartered Accountant, I have horned my skills and networks in private sector service delivery and my studies in public policy will strengthen my talent and intuition in public service.

As a Charterered Accountant with ACCA, I am a member to global network of Chartered Accountants who share ideas and knowledge through various channels including local bodies, winter schools as well as electronic media such as LinkedIn and Facebook. I will actively use this network to encourage and advise more accountants to pursue careers within the public sector especially in Zimbabwe were this sector is starved of highly-skilled technocrats depriving it of the much needed instruments to drive public sector reform. I will use such existing links and media to open up opportunities for other Chevening community members to careers and opportunities that allow them to harness their skills and talent towards transformational impact in their various fields.

Over the last 10 years I have worked in external audit servicing a wide range of organisations within both the public and private sector. As an auditor and health analyst, I have interacted with with leaders in higher echelons of power and besides such as lawmakers, not only have I created been able to achieve my work and grow the organisations I have worked for, I have also created mentorship networks that allow me access to advice which will be critical in my career development in the medium to long term as such career growth is necessary to be able to influence public policy in Zimbabwe.

Additionally, the time I spent in Liberia as an expat working in a post conflict and challenging environment gave me multi-cultural experience through interacting with other expats and nationalities in such a hot spot during the Ebola era. I will exploit these networks as centres for knowledge sharing and cross country interaction.

Scholarship / Career Path - Advancing Health reform in Zimbabwe [2]

Despite significant improvements in maternal and neo natal mortality in Zimbabwe over the last few years, the rates remain high. Development partners have and continue to make significant improvements towards this area with a recent focus on Health Systems Strengthening (HSS). As part of an interdisciplinary team at Clinton Health Access Initiatives, I am currently working on assisting the Ministry of Health on a number of HSS reforms that are aimed at addressing some of the challenges such as the health financing policy and strategy development, costing of health strategies such as child survival strategy, national health strategy and national malaria strategy and laying the groundwork for establishment of a National Health Insurance. Health sector reform is a long term process that demands commitment and passion towards saving lives.

Upon my return to Zimbabwe I intend to re-join the Clinton Health Access Initiatives and continue work in providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Health on the implementation of the National health Financing Policy and Strategy especially design and rollout of the National Health insurance Scheme. With my current experience and qualification as a Chartered Accountant, I am well positioned to assist with costing and prioritisation work in the development of benefits package. Equipped with expert knowledge and experience in public policy formulation and analysis geared towards health sector reform, I will be a key asset especially within the first 3 years during which the framework for the NHI is set. Without strong governance and policy frameworks, the NHI will not succeed, hence my knowledge in financial systems design from audit and accounting combined with public sector policy framework will allow me to progress to a position where I can influence developments in health financing.

In addition, the majority of the work in health financing reforms will be led from the government side, having worked intensely with governments and development agencies, I will be well positioned to take a leading role in future projects in health systems reform. Moreover, having grown up from poor background and worked in post conflict zones such as Liberia, I have first-hand knowledge and experiences of the challenges that poor and indigent communities face when accessing health services. This uniquely positions me towards growth and entrepreneurial and transformative impact in the health policy sector.

Within the long term, as Zimbabwe struggles and emerges from the economic challenges it faces, there is need for skilled and talented young minds (the future lies in the young generations) who are able to take up the mantle of development to ensure public service and efficiency reforms are at the centre of policies. I hope to be a leading expert within our generation towards advocating for inclusive policies that promote equity and equality in health service delivery and financing.

Scholarship / Chevening scholarship - MPP and HPPF at Oxford or LSE [2]

In February 2014 I began what was supposed to be a routine expatriate job as an external audit manager in a mid-tier expanding firm, this became a life and career changing move. After finishing all my exams and qualifying as a chartered accountant, I was looking forward to a lucrative position in finance in the private sector, and then Ebola came! The horrors of watching a struggling health system entirely collapse with no systems and policies to respond brought back the all too familiar horror memories of seeking health services in rural Zimbabwe. I decided i had to be part of the change i wanted to see and upon leaving Liberia, I joined Clinton Health Access Initiatives in Zimbabwe as an entry level Analyst in Sustainable Health Financing. This was a huge career change that altered my lifelong trajectory from profit to service. However it came with the need to retool and acquire expert knowledge in the field of public policy, health systems and financing. A degree that is centrered in policy analysis and development will give me the critical thinking path I need to succeed and grow from entry level positions in the field of health policy to become a policy expert within my organisation. In addition, studying in the UK will give me an upclose look at the systems and policies which Zimbabwe initially mirrored before it lagged behind due to stagnation. With a renowned NHI through the NHS system, UK also provides an opportunity to study this health reform that can be a key to achieving universal health coverage if well adapted for economies like Zimbabwe.

I am interested in studying an Master in Public Policy at Oxford due to its firm grounding towards professionals and not research or theory. This program offers me a wide range of insight into policy development and analysis which has been hitherto missing in my training as a chartered accountant. Even though I have studied courses in strategy and decision making, the program will allow me to cement it with public service philosophy which is critical if I am to fully combine my private sector skills and experience in effective public service delivery. The placement during the summer project will firmly strengthen my experiences in policy development in other organisations which can be critical for lessons learnt and ability to compare theory and practice.

Over the last two years, my work in health financing policy development, costing national health strategies, health sector resource mapping and Program Based Budgeting speaks closely to the Master in Health Policy, Planning and Financing offered jointly by the LSHTM and LSE. Not only do I get insight into the 3 major components of health systems, I am able to interact with experts from two leading universities in both fields of health and economics. The multidisciplinary approach allows me to relate skills in finance and my experiences in health policy reform in a structured way which I believe will shape a better leader in me upon my return.

*To add on last degree choice