By Lawani Mikairu

Dr Chichi Menakaya is the Chief Executive Officer of UK-based Annomo Health Concierge. In this interview, the medical doctor speaks on her foray into trauma and orthopaedic surgery, the hopes for Africa, challenges and her plans to build a global health ecosystem. Excerpts:

You have become a force across surgery, entrepreneurship, and global health strategy. What was young Chichi like, and what led you to medicine?

As a child, I was special. I was bold and at the same time shy, but the world only saw the curious, outspoken, and sometimes too brave for my own good. I had the grace and blessing; and I call it blessing to be born by an extremely powerful and kind woman, with the genes of a larger-than-life father who breathed, spoke, and lived medicine. However, despite my luck, as my mum would say, I also witnessed things that planted a seed very early, how illness could change a whole family’s trajectory, how medical systems failed those who needed them most.

I didn’t want to just help people feel better. I wanted to change the system that decided who gets better. That is how I found my way into trauma and orthopaedic surgery, which is one of the toughest, least diverse fields in medicine, especially for a woman.

Your name often comes up when people speak of Black excellence in medicine, especially in surgical circles. What inspired this surgical journey?

I always say I didn’t choose medicine; it chose me. As a Nigerian girl raised between cultures, I saw how the accident of your postcode or should I say continent could determine your life expectancy. I wanted to change that. So I entered a field not many who look like me dared to enter. That is trauma and orthopaedic surgery, where only a handful of Black female surgeons exist globally. I didn’t just want to succeed. I wanted to redefine the spaces we walk into.

How was that journey? Were there moments when you almost gave up?

Yes. Many. I was often the only Black woman in the room. Sometimes, I am made to feel like I don’t belong. I have had my competence questioned, my voice silenced, my dreams delayed. I remember once being told I was ‘foreign’ for a surgical career. Can I make you wonder; till date, despite heights achieved, I still continue to be doubted, undermined, and made to feel that I do not belong on the table.

I laugh a lot because no one survives trauma theatre by being incompetent. So I focused on the people that truly matter-my patients. What I lacked in acceptance, I replaced with excellence. Every ‘no’ became fuel. I love the word ‘no.’ It helps me aspire for more.

How did you stay grounded through all of that? What kept you going?

My mother’s voice in my head constantly reminds me of whose daughter I was. Faith. Community spirit — that I couldn’t let my tribe down. And a very stubborn belief that I was born for more.

I stopped asking for permission and started creating my own tables. That mindset helped me launch Annomo Health. I launched it not just as a company, but as a promise: that world-class healthcare can be built by us, for us, without compromise.

Let’s talk about Annomo Health. You are now listed in Tatler’s Address Book and serve clients across the UK, US, UAE, Europe and Africa. How did you go from NHS doctor to global concierge CEO?

By listening. My patients, friends, relatives weren’t just asking for treatment, they were crying out for trust, for discretion, for holistic care, and for the very best. A relative close to me was treated less than was expected despite him paying out of pocket. So I sat down, re-examined private healthcare, asked how the royal family chooses their doctors, and said — it’s time to bring the best of the best to everyone who leaves their home to seek health outside their comfort zone. Executives, diplomats, celebrities, you and I — they all wanted the same thing: confidence that their health needs would be met without chaos, queues, or compromise — and more importantly, that they had access to the best and latest treatment protocols. So I built a bridge between clinical excellence and lifestyle intelligence. Annomo became that bridge.

You have done surgeries around the world, spoken at Forbes Middle East, and advised health leaders. Yet you have remained deeply committed to Africa. Why?

Because Africa is the origin of brilliance but we have let the world write our health narrative for too long. I want to flip that script. My dream is to see Lagos where elite medicine is not outsourced but led from the continent and supported by the rest of the world. A Kenya where regenerative medicine is not imported but innovated at home. A South Africa where health isn’t just about survival but performance, longevity, and joy. It is time to build a global health ecosystem.

Can you expand on that?

Nigeria, nay Africa is my heart. How can it not be? It gave me the resilience, the drive, and the wings to fly even when I felt broken. I knew that my ultimate goal was to learn and then bring the best home. I want to unite healthcare into a global village. I want people to see that health is an infrastructure for every part of our lives.

I have operated in world-class theatres. I have walked the halls of top hospitals. But nothing gives me more joy than walking into a room full of not just African health leaders, but world leaders saying, “Let’s build our own future.” We have brilliance here — what we need is belief and infrastructure. So this year, in the very dynamic, bubbling city that does not sleep, we will rewrite the future of healthcare.

We will be bringing the best minds and launch The Exclusive Health Circle Summit. It’s not just a conference. It’s a statement — that Africa can lead the global longevity conversation. That health is the new wealth. And that the future of wellness is being designed here by us, for us with the help of our global friends.