Hello, can you introduce yourself briefly? 

Hi, my name is Nimatullah Ibrahim. I have a background in Urban and Regional Planning, and I am currently undergoing my master’s program in Geoinformatics and GIS. I am a fellow in the Sydani Fellowship Program Summer 2025 cohort, and I am stationed in Programs, where I have contributed to implementing projects across maternal health and disease surveillance. My current project is the ICAS project, which is targeted towards improving community access to skilled birth attendants in six high-burden states in Nigeria. 

It’s nice to meet you Nimatullah, can you tell me what part of the program has stood out the most for you so far? 

The SFP program is unlike anything I have ever experienced. What has stood out to me the most so far, however, is the SFP in-class training sessions. 

What do the SFP in-class training sessions entail? 

The in-class training sessions are a crucial part of the SFP program. Every Monday and Wednesday, we have a training session where all fellows are trained on key aspects across teamwork, communication, conflict management, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Through these classes, I was able to create an interactive dashboard on Excel, which is something I have always wanted to learn. 

The group classwork and assignments gave me an opportunity to interact with my colleagues and learn from them. Every single fellow in the SFP program is unique and has their strengths. We have doctors, engineers, and talented people across law, animal and social sciences, health, data science, and several other fields. It has been very interesting to work with and learn from such smart, driven people, and I have made lasting bonds and friendships with people who have impacted me in many ways. 

That is interesting to know. You mentioned that you have worked on a few projects. Can you tell me a bit about your previous project? 

The first project I worked on is the SPAC-Niger project, and it focuses on Strengthening Preparedness, Active Case Search, and Response for Prioritized Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) in Niger State. Working on this project was new to me as I was coming into the health space for the first time. 

The project was an interesting one with a goal to strengthen the VPD surveillance system in Niger State through improved performance in 6 target LGAs with sub-optimal performance. To achieve this goal, a multi-hazard risk assessment and surveillance system evaluation was conducted to identify the prioritized VPDs and identify gaps in the surveillance system in the implementing states. 

Through the project, I participated in organizing and carrying out a capacity-building workshop for surveillance officers in Niger State, and I also contributed to managing the 4-month active case search exercise for the prioritized VPDs. 

What skills have you gained while working on this project? 

Through the SPAC-Niger project, I gained a range of technical skills and others like communication and presentation skills. However, I was glad to have gained experience in project management during the active case search exercise, where I was in charge of monitoring and managing the activities of 66 surveillance focal persons stationed at health facilities to conduct case search. 

It was an experience that taught me the importance of collaboration, communication, stakeholder management, and performance assessment. I also got the opportunity to work with the brilliant and supportive members of my team who were intentional about my personal and professional growth and provided feedback and guidance at every step. 

You mentioned you now work on ICAS. What has it been like? 

Like I mentioned, ICAS is a project with a goal to develop a system-oriented strategy to improve community access to skilled birth attendants in Northern Nigeria. Stepping into the ICAS project gave me a different kind of experience as I got to work on a project that involved research, technical writing, and strategy development. 

This difference from my first project gave me an opportunity to grow in other aspects and develop other strengths. Although the transition period came with its own challenges, with the support and guidance of my team members, I was able to find my footing and contribute to the project. 

Being part of a project where teamwork and learning is a priority has been one of my highlights, and I am glad to be part of a team working towards making impact. 

What have you enjoyed the most about being part of this fellowship? 

I would say one of the most enjoyable things so far has been the opportunity to work at Sydani Group and venture into the consulting space while working on projects targeted towards solving critical challenges. At Sydani, you get to learn from different projects and different talented people who are willing to support you. 

I particularly enjoy the team bonding events and activities, which bring people together and give a wholesome experience. From the Sydani 7th year anniversary celebration to game events and the most recent cultural day event, they have all been memorable. 

As you come to the end of the fellowship program, what is one piece of advice you would give to new fellows joining the program? 

As I come to the end of the fellowship program, there has been a lot of reflection, and I can say that the program has been truly transformative. I am not the same as when I walked in 5 months ago. I would first like to congratulate the new fellows who would be joining the program.  

An important thing I would say you should hold on to is adaptability, resilience, and a growth mindset. Starting off during the fellowship can be really trying, and it would truly stretch you. Self-doubt and worries may set in, but it is important to keep in mind that learning is a journey. It is fine if you come in and struggle a bit, or even a lot. But once you set a goal for yourself and push through, it will be totally worth it. There is so much to learn, and Sydani will really teach you. 

I wish you guys the best. 

Thank you, Nimatullah. It has been nice to see the SFP journey from your eyes. As we round up this interview, is there anything else you would like to say? 

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who is committed to continually improving the SFP program and making it a transformative one. It has really been a ride, and I am glad to have met all the wonderful people that I got to interact with during this fellowship. Those memories will always stay with me. 

And to my fellow fellows, as we fondly call ourselves, it has been an honour to walk with every single one of you on this journey. Congratulations to the SFP Summer 2025 cohort as we round up our programme. The sky is our playground.