Ghanaian development and innovation professional Sydney Hushie has been appointed Chief of the Digital Centre of Excellence at the headquarters of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in New York.

The appointment was made by the Executive Director of UNFPA and United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Diene Keita.

In his new role, Mr Hushie will lead UNFPA’s global efforts to harness digital innovation, data and emerging technologies to improve the delivery of sexual and reproductive health services to women, girls and young people.

He joins the UNFPA headquarters from the organisation’s East and Southern Africa Regional Office, where he spent six years developing its innovation and digital transformation portfolio.

His work included supporting the use of medical drones to deliver maternal health supplies to hard-to-reach communities in Madagascar and Botswana, with pilots scheduled for Lesotho, Zambia and Mozambique.

He also worked on the use of virtual reality tools to support midwife training and helped develop partnerships that attracted new funding to the region’s digital innovation programmes.

Mr Hushie trained in International Commercial Law at the University of Cumbria in the United Kingdom and has worked across development finance and innovation.

Before joining UNFPA, he held positions at the African Development Bank and the British Council.

His professional experience spans more than 20 countries, with much of his work focused on applying innovation and technology to development challenges.

Reflecting on his new role, Mr Hushie said his Ghanaian and African experience would continue to shape his approach to digital development.

“I carry Ghana with me into this role,” he said.

“Everything I have learned at home and across Africa shapes how I think about reaching people who are too often left out. Technology is about improving the lives of people everywhere. I am grateful to the many people, in Ghana and beyond, who made this possible.”

Mr Hushie takes up the appointment at UNFPA headquarters in New York while continuing to work closely with country teams across the more than 150 countries and territories where the agency operates.

He is expected to maintain a particular focus on Africa, where several of the digital initiatives he helped develop are now being scaled.

His appointment comes as UNFPA continues to explore how digital technologies, data and innovation can improve access to health services and reach underserved populations.