The World Health Organization has appointed Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the current director general at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, as the agency’s assistant director-general of health emergency intelligence. Ihekweazu is set to step into the role in November and lead the Berlin-based WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.
In a statement, WHO said the hub — which aims to “better prepare and protect the world from global disease threats” — is a partnership between the global health body and the government of Germany.
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The German government announced an initial investment of $100 million for the hub, enabling it to “harness broad and diverse partnerships across many professional disciplines, and the latest technology.” According to WHO, the hub is also expected to link “data, tools and communities of practice so that actionable data and intelligence are shared for the common good.”
Speaking at the hub’s inauguration Wednesday, WHO’s director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described Ihekweazu as the perfect person to lead the hub.
“He brings vision and experience and will be an excellent addition to our WHO leadership team,” he said.
Ihekweazu said he was excited to carry on the work of WHO and tackle global health challenges at an international level.
“I’ve worked at the country level for many years,” he said. "No country, no part of the world can do what we need to do.” He added that “we need everyone to achieve” global health goals together.
Born in Germany, Ihekweazu studied medicine at the University of Nigeria and obtained a master’s degree in Public Health from the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany.
Before joining NCDC, he worked as a medical epidemiologist at the Berlin-based Robert Koch Institute and was co-director of the Centre for Tuberculosis at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg.
Under his leadership, NCDC developed a blueprint for public health emergencies in Nigeria and has supported states across the country in acquiring capabilities for public health responses, such as tracking, testing, and isolation. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, NCDC played a critical role in Nigeria’s responses to yellow fever, Lassa fever, and Ebola.
Though Ihekweazu’s departure has left uncertainties around the leadership of NCDC — as the Nigerian government has yet to announce his successor — he has previously hinted that the NCDC team is well equipped to continue to build on the institution’s accomplishments.
“I hope my legacy is that my name will be completely forgotten and everyone will remember the institution that we have collectively built with 500 other Nigerians that continues to do the work,” he previously told Devex.
About the author
Paul Adepojupauladepoju
Paul Adepoju is a Nigeria-based Devex Contributing Reporter, academic, and author. He covers health and tech in Africa for leading local and international media outlets including CNN, Quartz, and The Guardian. He's also the founder of healthnews.africa. He is completing a doctorate in cell biology and genetics and holds several reporting awards in health and tech.
