Magda Robalo is the President and Co-Founder of the Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD) in Guinea-Bissau. An Adjunct Professor at Griffith University, she co-chairs the UHC2030 Steering Committee and the African HIV Control Taskforce, and serves as a Global Ambassador for the G7 & G20 Health and Development Partnership.

A public-health Physician with more than 30 years’ experience in the global health ecosystem, she previously served as Minister of Health of Guinea-Bissau and led the national COVID-19 response as High Commissioner of the Presidential Task Force.

From 2020 to 2025 she held a leadership role on the Ethics and Governance Committee of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Earlier, she was Director of Communicable Diseases and WHO Representative in Namibia and Ghana, among other senior positions within the WHO African Region.

Throughout her career she has initiated and led transformative actions to improve health outcomes, establish inclusive and accountable governance systems, empower women and girls, and promote equitable access to quality healthcare. She is deeply engaged in co-creating solutions for African health sovereignty, sustainable financing and economic development.

Magda Robalo sits on several boards and advisory committees and is a Commissioner of the Lancet Commission on People-Centred Care and Universal Health Coverage, led by the Center for Primary Care at Harvard Medical School.