As a continent, the conversations continue to revolve around carrying out impactful work regardless of the space one operates it, and ensuring that impact, sustainability, ethics, and innovation are top-of-the-list.
In Africa, key industries with the most attention continue to be fashion, tech, and content creation {and influencing, if you may}. Thus, it becomes paramount that people of influence in these spaces continue to lead with these key values. We have identified some individuals who understand the power they hold in their areas of influence and are using it to drive impact in their communities and across the continent.
In Nigeria, the story is the same and for the Moda Culture April – June 2022 Best of Africa issue, Jennifer Nwosu chats with a leading influencer owning the health space across most of Africa about the impact of his work.
Dr Chinonso Egemba more popularly known as ‘Aproko doctor’ is one of such people. With 1.4million Twitter followers and 202 Thousand Instagram followers (as at the time of this story); he uses ‘storytelling to create a healthier Africa’.
For a professional in the medical field, he has shown that passion can be diversified into multiple areas. A practising medical doctor, he has built up a very strong formidable followership across different social media platforms. On Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, the content he churns out daily cuts across health, sociopolitical reforms, entrepreneurship and human rights activism. He has been cheered on as one of the leaders of a new reform in society in Africa, in a couple of years.
He is an advocate for quality accessible health care, mental health and public health care. He hopes to see all these available to people irrespective of their stations in life, gender and sexual orientation. He also tells us that despite being a man of many creative parts, the medical field still remains his focal point as he believes that it is the key to all-around balance in life.
For one who has utilised social media platforms to create awareness on a number of issues that trend daily, his many ‘parts’ may seem like a huge mountain to climb for many young people who look up to him and want to attain his status. However, his can-do spirit is evident as he tells us that he believes everyone has the potential to do what he does and more provided that they have the passion to carry it out.
For me, I do what I do because I believe that I have been able to find my balance and use it to also impact positively on others around me.
Chinonso ‘Aproko Doctor’ Egemba
On openness to advocating for issues such as sexual rights and other related areas, he says,
Yes, it {LGBTQ+ rights} is a thing we all have to embrace because nothing stays static. With the new dynamics of discovering oneself and people starting to openly stand on their various preferences and lifestyles, it is important to support and discover individuals irrespective of their chosen sexual orientation. Health care is a basic human right so, everyone deserves the right to life and quality health care. That means I’m all for it.
Chinonso ‘Aproko Doctor’ Egemba
The story continues as he discusses LGBTQ+ rights, marriage, healthy work-life integration, fitness, and life mantras.
Read the full interview in Moda Culture April – June 2022 digital issue.
