Dr. Sunday Ochai

Executive Director & Founder

Sunday Ochonu Ochai is a development leader, One Health scientist, and humanitarian practitioner with over a decade of experience designing, implementing, and advising programmes across Africa and Asia. He has supported projects in more than 20 countries, working within education systems, health systems strengthening, climate and community resilience frameworks, and institutional capacity development. His work connects global policy priorities with practical implementation in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

As Founder and Executive Lead of ImpactHub for Youth and Children Foundation, Sunday provides strategic leadership, governance oversight, and programme direction across an integrated portfolio serving vulnerable children and youth in crisis-affected communities. He leads organisational strategy, donor engagement, partnership development, financial management oversight, safeguarding systems, and performance accountability structures. Under his leadership, ImpactHub has delivered structured education programmes, gender-responsive interventions, WASH initiatives, and livelihood models anchored in community ownership and measurable learning and wellbeing outcomes.

He brings experience in programme design, theory of change development, logframe construction, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, risk management, and multi-stakeholder coordination. His leadership approach prioritises institutional strengthening, operational discipline, transparency, and sustainability, ensuring that programmes are scalable and aligned with national and donor standards.

Sunday holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, a Master’s degree in Tropical Diseases as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, and a PhD. He serves as an Extraordinary Lecturer at the University of Pretoria and an Honorary Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, contributing to capacity building and mentoring of emerging professionals. He is also the 2025 Äänit Prize winner. Across his career, he has worked in humanitarian and development settings to strengthen livelihoods, expand access to essential services, and support systems that improve outcomes for children and young people. His work reflects long-term engagement in the development space and executive competence to lead and scale ImpactHub for Youth and Children Foundation.