Chikwe Ihekweazu has been appointed as the acting regional director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Africa.
WHO announced the appointment during the ongoing 156th session of its executive board in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
Ihekweazu, who previously served as the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), will lead the organization in Africa for a period of four months.
WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in Ihekweazu’s capabilities, stating that Africa is in “capable hands” during this transitional period.
A new regional director for Africa is expected to be elected in May 2025. Ihekweazu succeeds Matshidiso Moeti, who has completed her term in the role.
Moeti thanked the organisation for her time spent as regional director, saying it has been “an honour to work alongside dedicated colleagues, partners, and communities committed to making a lasting impact”.
“To our Member States, I extend my heartfelt thanks. Your courage, resilience and determination have inspired me every day,” she wrote in a post on X.
“Over the past decade, we have worked side-by-side to strengthen health systems and advance universal health coverage to expand access to care.
“We have celebrated groundbreaking milestones. To our partners, none of our successes would have been possible without you.
“Your technical and financial support and our joint action have been instrumental in driving innovation and impact.”
In 2021, Ihekweazu was appointed as an assistant director-general of the WHO in charge of health emergency intelligence.
Ihekweazu was trained as an infectious disease epidemiologist and has over 20 years of experience working in senior public health and leadership positions in several national public health institutes, including the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute.
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