Nkiruka Okafor is a distinguished Nurse and health system strengthening consultant with over a decade of experience advancing healthcare quality, regulation, and leadership across Nigeria. She currently serves as the CEO of Rare Edge Healthcare Quality Limited, where she leads transformative initiatives in health governance, facility standards, and capacity development. She also works as an HSS consultant with the Yobe State Ministry of Health. A passionate advocate for quality healthcare delivery, Nkiruka played a pivotal role in the establishment of two groundbreaking regulatory bodies in Yobe State, Nigeria: the Yobe State Healthcare and Health-related Facilities Inspection and Monitoring Agency (YOHFIMA) and the Yobe Emergency Medical and Ambulance Services Agency (YEMABUS). Through her technical leadership and policy advisory, both agencies have pioneered localized strategies for healthcare quality assurance and emergency medical response. Her expertise spans strategic health planning, monitoring and evaluation, healthcare facility licensing, policy development, and capacity-building for regulatory institutions. She has provided consultancy to ministries of health, shaped the implementation of national standards, and supported the operationalization of the National Health Act in sub-national contexts. Nkiruka is an active Scholar of the Global Nursing Leadership Institute (GNLI). At ICN 2025, she presents on "Retention Strategies in Addressing the Emigration of African Nurses and Midwives," highlighting innovative policy solutions from the GNLI 2024 AFRO project. She also other two e-poster presentations at the ICN 2025 Congress.