Johannesburg Based Medical Practitioner, Mr. Lawrence Mbobo, Inducted Into The Banking on Africa’s Future (BOAF) – 10,000 Points of Light

Janice Greaver, 08/05/2021

Medical Practitioner, Mr. Lawrence Mbobo has been recognized by the 1873 Network’s Banking on Africa’s Future as a shining light and a beacon of hope for the continent thus leading to his induction into the Banking on Africa’s Future (BOAF) – 10,000 Points of Light – Hall of Fame.

1873 Network, a member-based non-profit organization established in South Africa which is founded to provoke, inspire and ignite new and innovative ways of problem solving in Africa based on connected, equipped and forward leaning voluntary actors

Dr. Mbobo who is based in South Africa is a medical practitioner with over 25 years of clinical experience in both the public and private medical sector with special expertise in areas such as the treatment of HIV-Aids and Tuberculosis (TB).

Banking on Africa’s Future’s recognition of Dr. Mbobo with a Certificate of Induction into the 10 000 Points of Light of Hall Fame is in recognition of his brilliant medical ideas and positive actions that helps to transform Africa into a progressive, prosperous and inclusive continent.

The 10 000 Points of Light refers to individuals who are recognized as shining examples in their respective communities and industries because of the great work they do to raise the continent’s flag high.

Programs Director for Banking of Africa’s Future, Mr. Singh, said that medical practitioners like Dr. Mbobo who strive to improve their patients’ quality of health while streamlining their engagement with other actors in the health delivery value supply chain must be honored and be celebrated.

He added that initiatives such as the Banking on Africa’s Future provides actors in the medical fraternity with a platform where they can contribute to discussions and decisions about improving the quality of services using professionalism and ethical approaches.

Mr. Singh also highlighted that Dr. Mbobo was nominated for induction in the Hall of Fame based on his outstanding contribution to the shaping and defining of the kind of personality and character of an ideal frontline care provider who has over two decades of striving for excellence.

Dr. Mbobo is holder of an MBCHB degree as well as an Advanced Management Programme Post-graduate Diploma and a Post-Graduate Diploma from Manchester Business School (United Kingdom).

He also did an Introductory Course to Clinical Trials and code of Good Practice with the Wits Health Consortium.

The South African based Dr. Mbobo who is also a recognized HIV Medicine Specialist in the United States of America sat and passed the GALEN Certification Examination offered by the USA based International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) in 2005.

Way before the public sector started working on ARV programs, Dr. Mbobo was already an advisor at AngloGold Health Services from 2003 to 2004 on the Get-Well Programme which was a comprehensive initiative aimed at providing strategic and practical responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the mining sector.

Over the years, he has successfully managed international donor and local authorities funded projects such as those by PEPFAR and the City of Johannesburg, a development which gave him an opportunity to contribute to the design of clinical programs for chronic disease management.

Dr. Mbobo is well recognized in the arena of strategic insights into health delivery programs that are aimed at delivering excellent outcomes and has also conducted numerous high impact lectures, workshops and seminars in HIV and TB disease management to doctors.

“By inducting Dr. Mbobo to this bank of hope, it is our intention to provoke, inspire and ignite others to follow his footsteps and raise awareness on the role that medical practitioners like him can play in building a better Africa which BOAF is promoting.

The fact that our inductee also voluntarily agrees to become a paid up member of this great initiative speaks volumes about his positive approach to the need and urgency of using community power to solve problems even during this Covid-19 period.” Mr Singh elaborated.

iniAfrica News Editor, Author as well as a Banking on Africa’s Future member and 10 000 Points of Light Inductee, Mr. Brian Kazungu, commended 1873 Network’s search for outstanding individuals such as Dr. Mbobo whose excellence is a light which is making Africa to shine bright.

“I have so far attended several induction and award ceremonies including a great event at The Royal India Restaurant in Sandton, Johannesburg yesterday where the legend of Karate in Africa, Mr. Sonny Pillay, was inducted into the 10,000 Point of Light – Hall of Fame.

What is strikingly clear in all these events is that the minds of attendees are getting shifted to think and act in a manner that promotes the goal of building inclusive communities.

I am fully convinced that because of people like Dr. Mbobo, who even though they are few in this continent, they choose to remain in Africa in order to inspire hope by recognizing medical problems and then choose to solve them.

That is why, today in the morning I was discussing with Mr. Mawere on the need to build a BOAF Health circle of care givers, wherein, us, as the media will help to celebrate and promote craft competence and pride of work in the medical fraternity for the common good of all.

In the same vein, 1873 Network and Africa Heritage Chairman, Mr Mutumwa Mawere expressed his satisfaction with the results and impact of BOAF programs and highlighted that it will be life changing for medical practitioners to occupy space among other light bearers.

“Imagine, if through BOAF, we could have 10% of our target 10,000 Points of Light being medical practitioners? This will raise the visibility of doctors and facilitate free choice by patients on the doctors they want to be treat by.

I am inspired by the revolution that has been ushered by platform business models like Mr. D and Uber among many in building an efficient customer-centric businesses.

Yesterday at the dinner to honor Karate legend Mr. Pillay, I noticed a high level of traffic by Mr. D and Uber at The Royal India Restaurant and I established from Mr. Singh that the restaurant pays about 30% of the gross sales to a company like Mr. D to source and obtain orders.

This means that in order to do business in this new normal, a restaurant also needs a platform partner to survive instead of being greedy or being partisan. Success comes from a better model of value exchange.

As such, I look forward to using the BOAF idea to provoke doctors coming together to positively disrupt the current models that rewards better organized hospital chains leaving sole proprietors exposed and thus having the viability and sustainability of their businesses at stake.

The Africa I want to see is a community where excellence is celebrated and I believe that we all have a duty to make it happen by making sure that the identification of Points of Light in Africa is expedited and then to show up at events where such people are being honored and celebrated.” Mr Mawere suggested.

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