Albertha Nyaku

Albertha Nyaku is a recognized global nutrition leader with over 25 years of public health and nutrition experience supporting governments to strengthen systems in more than 20 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. She has worked extensively in Ghana, Cambodia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa and Nigeria. In addition to various roles with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, Ms. Nyaku has also held key positions in various organizations including being technical advisor for the Alive and Thrive initiative at FHI360, Africa regional advisor for the USAID Infant and Young Child and Maternal Nutrition Project at PATH, senior nutrition advisor on the Maximizing the Quality of Scaling up Nutrition Project (MQSUN) at PATH and the nutrition team lead of the USAID Maternal and Child Survival Project.

Ms. Nyaku is the nutrition practice senior program director at Results for Development (R4D), where she oversees a diverse nutrition portfolio at the country, regional and global levels. She leads strategic development initiatives which delivers technical assistance emphasizing partnerships with local or regional institutions to facilitate and support country led change processes, promote regional learnings and technical support networks, and ensure that country and regional actors and evidence are prioritized or play a bigger role in global processes.

Throughout her career, Ms. Nyaku has supported countries build capacities of country change agents from government and civil society for the prevention and management of malnutrition.

Prior to R4D, Ms. Nyaku was the technical advisor with the Alive and Thrive Program at FHI360 where she worked with the Nigeria program to develop and launch the Start Strong behavior change communication program implemented in 11 states. Start Strong has since become a government national program being scaled up to other states. She also coordinated the USAID Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition Program in 12 African countries which resulted in the development and use of evidence-based approaches and tools for community and health facility-based nutrition services and strengthening of nutrition services in routine health systems.

Ms. Nyaku is currently a member of the American Society of Nutrition.

Ms. Nyaku holds a bachelor of arts degree in home science and sociology with the University of Ghana, and a public health graduate certificate with Tulane University, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.