Chikwe Ihekweazu has been appointed as the acting regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Africa,Thecable reports.
A former director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ihekweazu was appointed on Tuesday during the ongoing 156th session of the WHO executive board in Geneva, Switzerland.
Announcing the appointment, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in Ihekweazu’s leadership, stating that Africa is in “capable hands” for the next four months. A new regional director for Africa is set to be elected in May 2025.
Ihekweazu succeeds Matshidiso Moeti, who has completed her tenure. Reflecting on her time in office, Moeti expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with dedicated colleagues, partners, and communities.
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“To our Member States, I extend my heartfelt thanks. Your courage, resilience, and determination have inspired me every day,” she wrote on X. “Over the past decade, we have worked together to strengthen health systems, advance universal health coverage, and expand access to care. Our successes would not have been possible without our partners’ technical and financial support.”
Ihekweazu, appointed in 2021 as WHO’s assistant director-general for health emergency intelligence, is an infectious disease epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience in senior public health and leadership roles. He has worked at major public health institutions, including the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the UK’s Health Protection Agency, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute.
