Public health specialist Osas Aizeyosabor Agho wins 2026 Robert Burns Humanitarian Award as award marks 25th anniversary

A humanitarian public health specialist, who has delivered life-saving support in conflict zones and humanitarian crises across Africa and Europe, has been named as the winner of the 2026 Robert Burns Humanitarian Award (RBHA).

Osas Aizeyosabor Agho, a Nigerian public health and humanitarian professional with more than 17 years' experience, received the prestigious award during a special ceremony held on Burns Night, 25 January 2026.

Supported by South Ayrshire Council's Destination South Ayrshire service, the Award recognises exceptional acts of compassion and courage, reflecting the values championed by Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. Since its inception, the award has celebrated individuals from across the globe whose work has improved the lives of others.

Osas has spent nearly two decades working at the front line of humanitarian response, delivering critical health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes in crisis-affected and conflict settings. His work has supported thousands of vulnerable people affected by displacement, disease outbreaks, climate-related emergencies and war.

Osas served as Organization for Migration (IOM) Technical Expert in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, leading emergency WASH, response programmes across more than 120 displacement camps in northeast Nigeria. These interventions reached more than 85,000 people who had limited or no access to clean water and sanitation.

Osas has also delivered humanitarian programmes across Djibouti and Nigeria, working with UN agencies, international non-governmental organisations, and local partners to strengthen public health systems, protect displaced communities and promote dignity and resilience in the face of extreme hardship.

In 2025, Osas was nominated for the AidEx Humanitarian Hero of the Year Award.

On receiving the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award, Osas said: "Being named the 2026 Robert Burns Humanitarian Award recipient is a deeply meaningful and humbling honour. What makes this recognition especially significant to me is the integrity behind it and the values it upholds: justice, equality, and the dignity of ordinary people, which Robert Burns championed with rare moral clarity.

"I accept this award with gratitude and a strong sense of responsibility to continue serving humanity with integrity, dignity, and accountability, particularly in the most complex and demanding humanitarian contexts".

Councillor Brian Connolly, Chair of the RBHA judging panel and Leader of South Ayrshire Council, said: "As the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award marks its 25th anniversary, it is especially fitting to recognise an individual whose career so powerfully reflects the compassion, courage and humanity that this award was created to honour.

"Osas Aizeyosabor Agho is an outstanding humanitarian whose work in conflict and crisis settings has improved the lives of thousands of people facing unimaginable hardship. His professionalism, leadership and commitment to protecting dignity embody the enduring values of Robert Burns, and he is a truly deserving recipient of the 2026 Robert Burns Humanitarian Award."

Osas was selected from a strong field of finalists for the 25th anniversary year of the award, which also included Mandy Sanghera OBE, an internationally recognised human rights activist and philanthropist, and Ajay Shah, volunteer with the charity Hope4Smile (MZ & KZ Shah Foundation). Both finalists were praised by the judging panel for their exceptional humanitarian contributions.

As the 2026 RBHA winner, Osas receives the award title and a prize of 1,759 guineas (approximately £1,800) — a symbolic figure marking the year of Robert Burns' birth and the currency in circulation at the time.

For more information about the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award, visit: