Chikwe Ihekweazu, former Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has been appointed as the acting Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Africa.
His appointment was announced during the ongoing 156th session of the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Switzerland.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in Ihekweazu’s leadership, stating that Africa is in “capable hands” for the next four months until a new regional director is elected in May 2025.
Ihekweazu takes over from Matshidiso Moeti whose tenure as Regional Director has come to an end.
Moeti expressed gratitude for her time at WHO, acknowledging the collaboration with member states and partners in strengthening health systems across Africa.
“Over the past decade, we have worked side-by-side to strengthen health systems and advance universal health coverage to expand access to care,” she said in a farewell message.
She also highlighted key achievements and partnerships that contributed to health improvements on the continent.
Before this appointment, Ihekweazu served as an Assistant Director-General of the WHO in charge of health emergency intelligence since 2021.
He is a trained infectious disease epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience in senior public health and leadership roles across multiple international health institutions, including South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases, United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute.
His leadership at NCDC was instrumental in Nigeria’s response to several disease outbreaks including COVID-19.
