Oncology nurse from Ghana wins Global Nursing Award in Dubai

Nurse Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, from Ghana, has been named the winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2025.

The oncology nurse specialist and Head of Nursing at the National Radiotherapy, Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital received the prestigious $250,000 prize at a grand ceremony in Dubai.

The award was presented by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, in the presence of officials from Aster DM Healthcare, which launched the award in 2021 to honour exceptional nurses worldwide.

Nurse Naomi was selected from a pool of 100,000 applicants representing 199 countries - an all-time high for the award.

Her decades-long work in advancing cancer care and training in Ghana has earned her international recognition. She has led major initiatives to build oncology nursing programmes, trained dozens of specialists, and championed access to equitable cancer treatment across Africa.

In an emotional acceptance speech, Naomi dedicated the award to nurses everywhere, calling nursing “a force for social justice, equity, and hope.”

She emphasised the need for continued investment in training and outreach to improve cancer outcomes on the continent.

The ceremony also featured a special message from WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who praised Naomi and Aster DM Healthcare for shining a light on the essential role nurses play in global health.

The rest of the nine finalists, Catherine Maree Holliday from Switzerland, Edith Namba from Papua New Guinea, Fitz Gerald Dalina Camacho from the UAE, Dr. Jed Ray Gengoba Montayre from Hong Kong SAR, Dr. Jose Arnold Tariga from USA, Khadija Mohamed Juma from Kenya, Maheswari Jaganathan from Malaysia, Dr. Sukhpal Kaur from India, and Vibhaben Gunvantbhai Salaliya from India were also recognised for their contributions.

These nurses were selected through a stringent review process run by Ernst & Young LLP, a panel of screening-jury and the grand jury.