Join the Global Parenting Initiative (GPI) for an engaging and thought-provoking panel discussion on parenting across the African continent. This webinar will bring together leading voices in research, policy, and practice to explore how families are being supported in diverse African contexts.
From cutting-edge parenting programmes to the everyday realities faced by caregivers, the panel will delve into emerging trends, cultural considerations, and the innovative solutions shaping the future of parenting in Africa.
Whether you’re a policymaker, researcher, or simply passionate about family wellbeing, this conversation will offer valuable insights and a chance to connect with others working to support children and caregivers across the continent.
Date: 26 August 2025
Time: 15:00 – 16:15 SAST | 14:00 – 15:15 BST | 16:00 – 17:15 EAT
This event has passed, watch the recording below:
Meet the speakers
Karamage Emmanuel is the Bandebereho Scale-Up Coordinator at the Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre (RWAMREC). He holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and brings over 12 years of experience in coordinating programmes, leading teams, and facilitating initiatives focused on gender equality, male engagement in positive parenting, and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention.
Karamage currently oversees the national scale-up of the Bandebereho programme, implemented by RWAMREC in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Center, and the National Childhood Development Agency. This groundbreaking initiative engages men in maternal and child health, GBV prevention, parenting, and caregiving, with the goal of strengthening couple relationships and promoting healthier families across Rwanda.
Oluwatoyin Ogunkanmi is a seasoned Family Psychologist and Clinical Consultant with over a decade of experience supporting children, adolescents, and families across Nigeria. She is the Founder of Parenting Support System Ltd, dedicated to helping families build emotional resilience and raise mentally strong adolescents. Currently, she serves as a Clinical Psychologist at a Wellbeing & Recovery Centre in Abuja, offering psychological assessments, therapy, and family-focused counselling. Her expertise includes child development, behaviour management, trauma recovery, and parenting coaching.
Oluwatoyin has led impactful mental health projects, including anti-bullying campaigns, psychosocial support in IDP camps, and wellness training in schools and churches. She combines cognitive behavioural therapy, trauma-informed care, and the biopsychosocial model in her approach.
Beatrice Nyakwaka Ogutu is a passionate leader with 20 years of experience advancing the rights and well-being of Africa’s children, youth, and women. Her work focuses on breaking cycles of violence, poverty, and inequality by promoting awareness and delivering scalable, community-driven solutions.
As the head of Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS-SP)’s Africa operations, Beatrice provides strategic leadership that drives the organization’s growth and impact. Under her guidance, ICS- SP has co-designed award-winning programmes that foster positive child development and prevent violence in homes, schools, and communities. Notably, the Gender Transformative Skilful Parenting Programme™, adopted by the Kenyan government on a national scale, is a hallmark of this success.
Beatrice’s leadership has directly benefited communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, and Uganda. She serves on multiple government advisory councils, advocating for child protection, parenting support, and gender equality. Her work inspires collaboration across sectors to build a future where every child thrives and every woman has the opportunity to lead a life of dignity and opportunity.
Godfrey Siu is the Facilitate Lead on the Global Parenting Initiative. He is a behavioural scientist with training in public health and medical anthropology and sociology, and currently works as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Child Health and Development at Makerere University, Uganda. His broad interests lie in the potential health contribution that an explicit focus on gender and masculinity can bring to men, women, and their families.
His Doctoral research titled ‘Individuality, Masculine Respectability, and Reputation: exploring the Link between Men’s Uptake of HIV Treatment and Their Masculinity in Rural Eastern Uganda’ examined male gender norms and their link with men’s health in Eastern Uganda. He has published several articles on this topic, and his current work focuses on evaluating interventions for parenting and families to reduce sexual and gender-based violence and child abuse and on understanding men’s risk relationships with adolescent girls and young women in the context of HIV, as well as how to improve male involvement.
Shingirai Amos Paungano is a seasoned child protection expert and social worker with over 15 years of experience. He serves as Deputy Director for Child Protection Services in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, working at the critical intersection of policy and community practice. He currently leads a multi-stakeholder initiative to develop a National Parenting Manual.
Guided by the belief that effective and sustainable parenting support must be rooted in Africa’s cultural and traditional systems of positive parenting, his work champions locally grounded solutions. His expertise spans national policy development, community-level programming, and building collaborative strategies between government and civil society.
MODERATOR| Isang Awah is a passionate advocate for evidence-based, playful parenting programmes, working to enhance child well-being worldwide. As Head of Advocacy at the Global Parenting Initiative, based at the University of Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention, she collaborates with national governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and faith-based organizations to drive the adoption of Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) programmes. With a strong commitment to empowering national research teams, Dr. Awah supports their leadership in advocacy efforts, ensuring that effective parenting interventions are implemented globally.