Dr. Estelle M. Sidze is a leading demographer specializing in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) in Africa. She heads the MNCH and maternal mental health research portfolio at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), promoting evidence-informed decision-making and African research leadership.
Dr. Sidze has led numerous large-scale research and advocacy projects focused on ending preventable maternal and child deaths by addressing social, structural, and household-level barriers, particularly among vulnerable groups such as young women, migrants, and the urban poor. She is principal investigator for several pioneering studies, including the Grand Challenges-funded Building Strong Minds project, the USAID-supported NAWIRI longitudinal study, and the NIH-funded JAMO project on maternal mental health in Nairobi slums.
As a technical lead for the Countdown to 2030 initiative, she advises on coverage and equity analyses across 26 African countries and co-authored its forthcoming Lancet report. Dr. Sidze also co-chairs the Union for African Population Studies (UAPS) family planning and sexual and reproductive health panel, which supports intellectual exchange and mentorship for African researchers. Her work is driven by a commitment to ensuring that decision-makers across sub-Saharan Africa have access to quality data to achieve equitable, inclusive health services and fulfill the SDG pledge to leave no one behind.