Birthdays celebrate achievements, and Dr. Samuel Jacobs-Abbey has much to celebrate. Beyond marking another year, he’s launching two impactful books that further his mission to empower the world. In a thought-provoking interview, Diplomatic Watch engages with this distinguished public health leader, human rights advocate, and champion for girls to unravel the nuances of moral courage. Together, we plunged into the cultivation of potential within each individual and explored how resilient minds, coupled with ethical leadership, can kindle enduring change.
Join us for a riveting conversation that not only challenges and inspires but also sparks the inner flame within you. Dr. Jacobs-Abbey’s journey, from addressing global health issues to amplifying the voices of the marginalized, is a compelling narrative toward a world founded on justice, equity, and compassion. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss—an exploration of ideals that promise to leave a lasting impact on your perspective. Excerpts:
Dr. Jacobs-Abbey, first of all, happy birthday! As you celebrate this special day, could you share with us the inspiration behind launching two books virtually on your birthday and what readers can expect from these new releases?
Thank you for the birthday wishes! I decided to launch these two books today because I believe they carry an inspiring message of hope and empowerment that is fitting for a birthday.
“Mastering Adversity” draws from my experiences overcoming challenges and research into resilience. The key message is that we all face adversity but have a remarkable capacity to adapt, learn, and grow from it. This book provides strategies to build resilience, shift mindsets, and turn struggles into strengths. Readers can expect practical, actionable advice to thrive in the face of life’s inevitabilities.
“The Power of Seeds” examines the seeds of talent, creativity, and purpose within each of us. Using metaphors and examples from the natural world, I illustrate how these seeds can blossom into extraordinary things with the right nurturing and care. Readers can expect personal stories and evidence-based guidelines for unlocking their talents and living a more purposeful life.
I hope that these books will help people break through limitations, discover their hidden potential, and lead significant lives. Resilient mindsets and nurtured talents should be celebrated, so it feels appropriate to release these titles today.
Your role as the Executive Director of Jacobs-Abbey Global Institute for Leadership Studies is quite significant. How has your background as the Programs Director for Sub-Saharan Africa for Youth for Human Rights International influenced your approach to leadership studies, especially in the African context?
Thank you for that thoughtful question. My background in human rights activism and leadership development in Sub-Saharan Africa has enormously influenced my approach as Executive Director of the Jacobs-Abbey Global Institute for Leadership Studies.
In traveling across African countries like Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Congo, Togo, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, and many other African Nations to educate and empower youth leaders, I witnessed firsthand both the challenges many communities face as well as the talent and potential of young people to create positive change. These experiences profoundly shaped my understanding of context-specific leadership and my conviction that leadership development must be tailored to bridge skills gaps for marginalized populations.
At JAGILS, I have carried my human rights lens and on-the-ground experience into our curriculum and programs. For example, our African Human Rights Leadership Initiative provides scholarships, mentorship networks, and skills training to promising youth leaders across the continent. The social justice frame I bring examines systemic barriers and equips leaders to challenge the status quo.
While empowering young activists and African organizers, I have also demonstrated the importance of making leadership accessible. That’s why JAGILS offers cost-free programs, localized content, and women’s leadership initiatives across Africa to reach those most needing opportunities. We define leadership as service to others, which my human rights advocacy background encapsulates.
I’m grateful that my career has enabled me to link arms with emerging leaders worldwide. Supporting their journeys now through our Institute is incredibly rewarding.
Gender equality and the protection of children are central themes in your career. Could you elaborate on how your passion for these issues has translated into concrete actions, such as your contributions to the passage of the Domestic Violence Acts and the Human Trafficking Act at both the African Union and United Nations levels?
Thank you for asking about issues so close to my heart. My passion for advancing gender equality and protecting vulnerable children stemmed early on from personal experiences with injustice. As those experiences fueled my human rights advocacy, I discovered just how widespread and systemic issues like domestic violence and human trafficking are globally. I resolved to do everything I could to enact legal protections for at-risk women and youth.
Over two decades, that advocacy took form through extensive policy and legislative work with institutions like the African Union, the United Nations, and multiple national governments. I had the privilege of providing policy expertise to ensure domestic violence bills and human trafficking legislation officially recognized these epidemics and upheld the dignity of survivors.
For example, my technical guidance helped shape robust enforcement mechanisms in Nigeria’s Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, passed in 2015, to combat abuses like female genital mutilation. I also co-drafted proposed statutes adopted by the African Union to harmonize human trafficking laws across member states, providing recourse for victims. And I advised intergovernmental bodies on implementing gender mainstreaming globally to prevent exploitation.
Beyond analyzing legislation, I had the honor of speaking before parliaments about my own experiences with abuse and trafficking. Putting a human face to policy change created empathy and urgency for action. I still consider the passage of comprehensive legal protections against gender-based violence and trafficking at institutional levels among my proudest achievements. The fight continues today through initiatives at my global Institute empowering women leaders as changemakers.
Dr. Jacobs-Abbey, your leadership in Global Public Health Diplomacy is widely recognized. In what ways do you believe strategic leadership contributes to addressing global health challenges, and what lessons have you learned in this arena?
I appreciate you asking about my public health diplomacy work. I’ve seen firsthand how political will and strategic leadership can make or break efforts to address major global health challenges like infectious diseases, maternal mortality, and access to vaccinations.
My key lessons learned are that effective global health diplomacy requires leaders who can align diverse stakeholders, communicate clearly across cultures, and balance urgency with practicality. We need a strategic vision to set bold goals for health equity worldwide and the ability to break those big ideas down into actionable steps that policymakers can rally around.
For example, one major global milestone I contributed to was the passage of the United Nations General Assembly Global Health and Foreign Policy Resolution 2012. That effort succeeded because we framed health as a human right and an economic and national security imperative. We also provided concrete recommendations like establishing universal health coverage targets that appealed to finance ministers.
Global health diplomacy works best when we lead with compassion while speaking the language of strategy. My public health background enables me to bridge those worlds of caregiving and policymaking. We still have a long way to go to achieve health access for all globally, but it will require persistent, savvy leaders at the table who don’t lose sight of the lives at stake. I remain committed to developing leaders in this critical space through institutes like mine.
Your extensive career in international development includes consulting for various organizations such as YHRI, UNICEF, and UNESCO. How has this diverse experience shaped your perspective on effective strategies for promoting sustainable development, particularly in the context of empowering girls globally?
My diverse experience across the international development sector has informed my perspective on effective strategies to promote sustainable development globally, especially regarding the crucial work of empowering adolescent girls.
Working closely with groups like UNICEF and UNESCO, I saw firsthand the barriers preventing girls in many nations from continuing into secondary school and realizing their full potential. Issues like child marriage, gender-based violence, lack of menstrual health resources, and family caretaking duties impede progress.
I also witnessed girls’ incredible resilience, leadership talents, and community commitment when given the right support and platforms to thrive. Consulting groups like Youth for Human Rights International, I helped develop girl-centered mentorship initiatives, life skills curriculums, and rights-based policy advocacy campaigns to shift social norms and drive change.
These insights have shown me that empowering girls requires multi-tiered strategies from the grassroots to global institutions. The lasting change starts with rallying girls to know, claim, and advocate for their rights. It requires engaging men and traditional leaders. It means pushing governments to invest concretely in girls by enhancing child protection systems, teaching comprehensive sex education, and ensuring safe schools with gender-sensitive facilities.
My diverse background has reinforced that girls are the most vital catalysts for development. We need to give girls a seat at every table, impacting their lives and amplifying their voices as leaders of change worldwide. Through my research institute, I’m committed to shining a light on data-driven interventions that remove barriers and help girls soar.
As the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for African Girls Hope Foundation and Senior Technical Advisor for Girls Excellence Movement, you have been actively involved in empowering girls. Can you share some of the most impactful projects or initiatives you’ve been a part of in this regard?
I’m delighted to speak more about my involvement with amazing organizations like the African Girls Hope Foundation and the Girls Excellence Movement that unleash adolescent girls’ potential across Africa.
Some of the most rewarding girl-centered initiatives I’ve helped spearhead focus on leadership development, education access, tackling gender-based violence, and elevating girls’ voices in policy decisions impacting their lives.
For example, I was honored to chair the Board of Trustees for AGHF as we launched an initiative to support girls in Kenya and Congo DR. This groundbreaking program provides marginalized girls scholarships, life skills training like coding and public speaking, one-on-one mentoring, and pathways to entrepreneurship or additional schooling post-graduation. Seeing girls who previously lacked opportunity gain skills, confidence, and support networks to follow their dreams has been incredibly moving.
Another personal highlight was supporting the Girls Excellence Movement (GEM) led by Juliana Ama Kplorfia. We brought together over 500 adolescent activists nationwide to amplify girls’ voices. Watching these young changemakers speak their truth to power was so inspirational! Outcomes like the Youth Declaration on Girls Education demonstrate why centered participation matters.
I could speak all day about girl-focused programs I’m honored to support on education, leadership, and more! But in short, every initiative placing girls firmly in the driver’s seat as leaders of change gives me tremendous hope. That’s where fundamental transformation happens.
Being a recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award for Social Good is a remarkable achievement. How do you see this recognition influencing your ongoing efforts to create social change and impact through your work?
I am deeply honored to have received the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award for Social Good from the Lanka Achievers Foundation in Sri Lanka. This award that recognizes those creating positive social change is significant to me.
Knowing that the award was conceived to honor and amplify the work of thousands of changemakers worldwide makes this recognition even more humbling. The award’s namesake, Mahatma Gandhi, also happens to be one of my greatest personal heroes and inspirations as a leader committed to nonviolence, empowering women, and uplifting the marginalized.
This award proves to me that efforts to drive social change on issues from human trafficking to gender-based violence to expanding access to education are all interconnected. My work stands on the shoulders of countless other leaders and organizations worldwide, chipping away at social injustices through strategic advocacy and activism.
Receiving this prestigious award renews my conviction that ordinary citizens uniting across cultures have the power to make an extraordinary impact. I am determined to carry this honor forward by continuing to develop leaders who promote the rights, dignity, and boundless potential of vulnerable groups like women and youth. Awards like this remind me that social change requires cultivating solidarity across borders to amplify shared struggles for justice and equality everywhere.
I aim for such recognition to shine a more excellent light on those I serve rather than myself. But make no mistake – this award has fueled my passion for driving sustainable social change for years. I am grateful beyond words for this distinguished recognition.
You hold an impressive academic background, including a PhD in Health Services with a special concentration in Public Health Policy. How do you integrate your academic knowledge into your practical work, especially in shaping health policies and strategies?
Thank you. My diverse academic background spanning public health, policy, and human rights informs my approach when shaping real-world health strategies and policies. As a political scientist and Public Health Policy Expert, I’ve learned to take a broad, multidisciplinary view to address complex health challenges.
For example, my PhD studies analyzed systemic barriers marginalized groups face accessing healthcare and catalyzing health policy reform from the bottom-up. That crucial on-the-ground perspective taught me that we can’t develop effective public health solutions without uplifting lived experiences—especially for those facing discrimination.
I carry insights like these into my practical work consulting governments undergoing health system transformations post-pandemic or rebuilding public health infrastructure after humanitarian crises. My recommendations integrate academic evidence on interventions like strengthening primary care with pragmatic guidance on healthcare workforce training appropriate for local contexts.
At the Jacobs-Abbey Institute, we also leverage academic knowledge across fields from our resident scholars and partners to promote knowledge sharing. For instance, last year, we published an open-access book on lessons for advancing post-pandemic resilience globally. The authors blended data with behavioral science and policy expertise to outline actions for change.
Marrying academic depth with practical applicability generates impactful health policies and solutions. My career has shown me that listening to marginalized voices while mastering research enables me to shape equitable, evidence-based health strategies.
Your charitable work and contributions to the community have been extensive. Could you highlight one or two initiatives or projects that you are particularly proud of and that have had a lasting impact on the communities you’ve served?
I’m humbled to have had the chance over my career to launch initiatives and projects that drive positive change. Two charitable endeavors I’m incredibly proud of for their lasting community impact are establishing human rights clubs in high schools across Africa and developing the Jacobs-Abbey Global Institute for Leadership Studies.
Seeing the stark need to educate youth on human rights issues and activism, I helped expand human rights clubs to over 100 high schools in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leonne, Ethiopia, Togo, Botswana, and Kenya. Providing curriculum, training, and mentorship enables these clubs to tackle community issues head-on. It has been incredibly moving to see students lead campaigns against gender-based violence, organize forums on corruption, start recycling drives, and so much more.
Their outsized impact in fostering rights-based attitudes and actions amongst thousands of peers shows why starting young matters.
On a broader scale, founding and leading the Jacobs-Abbey Global Institute for Leadership Studies as Executive Director has enabled high-impact work developing ethical leaders worldwide. Using evidence-based curriculum and experiential opportunities, our programs have now reached over 5,000 emerging leaders, from Governors to youth advocates to health workers. Seeing participants gain skills to lead with integrity and purpose, craft inclusive policies, and challenge injustice in their spheres gives me great hope. Our alumni network shares a vision to place service, ethics, and human rights at the forefront of all leadership endeavors that will have ripple effects for generations.
Both local student-led human rights activism and global values-driven leadership development aim to empower marginalized voices and sustain positive change over the long term. I cannot wait to see how both initiatives continue thriving in communities for years!
Lastly, with your fifth book being launched, can you give us a sneak peek into the themes or messages that readers can expect to find, and how these align with your overall mission and vision for positive social change?
Thank you for asking about my forthcoming book – I’m excited to give a preview! This fifth book continues my mission to equip rising leaders with the values, ethical frameworks, and inclusive mindsets needed to affect positive social transformation in our rapidly changing world.
Readers can expect this title to focus on “moral courage” – unpacking the bravery and conviction needed to stand up for justice, push past bystander dynamics, and lead change movements rooted in compassion. I spotlight those change makers, past and present, who have disrupted oppressive systems through moral courage, often at great personal cost.
I provide a roadmap for readers to reflect on times when they compromised values by failing to act and opportunities in their own lives to tap into the moral courage needed to catalyze change – whether in their community, workplace, or world. Core messages speak to the power each of us has to spark ripples of hope if we can access our most profound wisdom and overcome paralyzing fear.
This theme ties intimately to my vision for positive change by highlighting the values that fuel social action while calling readers to live aligned with their highest ideals and conscience. In this cultural moment where cynicism and disengagement abound, reconnecting with our moral courage may be the key to breakthroughs on societal issues, from poverty to climate change. My hope is this book will resonate with emerging leaders ready to do what it takes to build the just, equitable, and compassionate world so needed.
Join us virtually tomorrow, Saturday, for the book launch at www.jagils.org/Book-launching
