Temie Giwa-Tubosun of LifeBank is Recognised as a Global Business Leader
Temie Giwa-Tubosun, Founder of LifeBank is the winner of the 2020 Global Prize for Business Leader, in recognition of her work as a health advocate tackling issues of blood shortages in Nigeria and the innovative use of technology to distribute medical supplies. The Global Citizen Prize for Business Leaders honours an individual in the business community who has combined business goals with positive human impact.
Temie Giwa-Tubosun is also credited for LifeBank’s COVID-19 efforts, especially the launch of new centres and the free delivery of medical oxygen to COVID-19 patients in isolation centres.
Temie was motivated to solve issues bothering around the Nigerian health system based on her experience during an internship with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development in Northeast Nigeria, 2003 where she alongside her team came across a young pregnant woman with birth complications. This experience inspired her to learn about health systems in developing countries and triggered the launch of Life Bank in 2016. Since founding, LifeBank has transported over 25,000 medical products, served more than 600 hospitals and saved not less than 10,000 lives.
In order to solve more health problems, LifeBank launched AirBank in 2018, a digital platform to order and deliver emergency oxygen cylinders across Nigeria. Also, in July 2020, the company launched a digital blood and oxygen bank in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The organization has further used blockchain technology to create SmartBag in order to register and protect information about blood supply, to reduce risks of infections.
At the start of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the team launched QuipbyLifeBank, a national register which traces functioning medical equipment such as ventilators, respirators, and ICU beds across Nigerian hospitals. As of April 2020, QuipbyLifeBank has identified over 700 pieces of medical equipment in Nigeria and has expanded the database to include Kenya, with further plans to include Ethiopia and Ghana.
With the support of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), LifeBank launched two free drive-through mobile testing centres in Lagos and Oyo State. They also partnered with the Oyo State government and Dan Holdings investment group to provide free delivery of medical oxygen to COVID-19 patients in two isolation centres.
Earlier, Temie has been awarded the Solve Initiative Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Tech Entrepreneur Award from Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), the Africa Netpreneur Award and the Jack Ma African Business Award. However, in June 2020, she was named a Cartier Women’s Initiative Laureate for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Temie obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Minnesota State University, Moorhead and International Health Systems Management from Middlebury Institute of International Studies, California.
Temie is an inspiration who has consistently shown us that we all have the potential to stand up and take actions in what we believe.