Dr. Boniface Ushie

Boniface Ayanbekongshie Ushie, PhD, is a sociologist and public health researcher whose work advances understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and has built a multidisciplinary research profile at the intersection of social science, population health, health systems, and reproductive health. His scholarship is grounded in rigorous empirical inquiry and a strong commitment to generating evidence that informs policy, strengthens programmes, and improves reproductive health outcomes across the region.

Dr. Ushie’s research agenda focuses on sexual and reproductive health and rights, unintended pregnancy, induced abortion, adolescent and young people’s reproductive health, access to reproductive health services, and the social and contextual determinants of reproductive health outcomes. His work addresses some of the most complex and policy-relevant questions in reproductive health, including abortion-related morbidity, abortion underreporting and measurement in restrictive settings, community perceptions of abortion, and the ways in which legal, political, and social environments shape access to essential sexual and reproductive health services.

He has substantial experience designing, conducting, analysing, and publishing research across diverse African contexts, including Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. Through collaborations with researchers, academic institutions, and policy stakeholders internationally, Dr. Ushie has contributed to evidence that is both scientifically robust and directly relevant to public health decision-making. His recent scholarship has helped strengthen methodological approaches for estimating induced abortion and unintended pregnancy in settings where abortion is legally restricted, socially sensitive, or difficult to measure. He has also contributed to important debates on the ethical complexities of conducting abortion research in restrictive environments.

At the African Academy of Sciences, Dr. Ushie heads the programme department, responsible for grant making, supporting early and mid-career scientists and researchers across Africa, knowledge translation, and evidence-informed policy and practice.