As women leaders in global health from Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia, we believe that the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is facing a crucial milestone in selecting its next director-general. The appointment of the first female head of Africa CDC and the integration of gender-transformative leadership would bring the much needed diversity in perspective and professional expertise of women leaders into the global health discourse.
In July 2002, the African Union made history by adopting an “absolute gender equality” rule at the inaugural session of the heads of state and government — which extends to Africa CDC as a technical institution of the African Union. This gender parity rule of 50% women applies to key decision-making structures, from the commission level through to senior appointments.
In recent years, women's representation in global health governance has been characterized by a downward trend. According to Women in Global Health’s annual count at the 2022 World Health Assembly, less than a quarter of the 194 governments of the world sent delegations headed by women, continuing a trend of a women-dominated sector almost completely controlled by men.
About the authors
Toyin Ojora Saraki
Toyin Ojora Saraki is a WHO Foundation ambassador for global health. As founder-president of The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Saraki is a global advocate for women’s and children’s health and empowerment, with two decades of advocacy covering reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health; ending gender-based discrimination and violence; and improving education, socioeconomic empowerment, and community livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa. Saraki is part of the Women in Global Health movement.
Flavia Senkubuge
Professor Flavia Senkubuge is a specialist in public health medicine and is the president of Women in Global Health South Africa. She is the deputy dean for health stakeholder relations at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She is also the 20th president of the Colleges of Medicine South Africa. She is the first black woman and only the third woman in the CMSA’s 67 years to hold the position. She is the current chair of the WHO/African region African Advisory Council on Research and Development.
Dr. Choolwe Nkwemu Jacobs
Choolwe Jacobs, Ph.D., is co-founder and country lead for Women in Global Health, Zambia chapter. She is a public health specialist and social epidemiologist with over 15 years of extensive engagement in global health.
