Breaking: African Union appoints Nigerian president as champion for health

The African Union has appointed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the AU Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership against the backdrop of his ambitious, innovative, and people-focused efforts in the sector.

The appointment is the recognition of the Nigerian president’s “ commitment to train 120,000 frontline health workers nationwide within 16 months and to double the number of primary health facilities in communities across all local government areas of the federation from 8,800 to over 17,000 over the next three years; his doubling of health personnel enrollment capacity from accredited nursing and midwifery institutions to accommodate the new demand created by new facilities across Nigeria, and his resolve to establish a paid volunteer youth force of social accountability officers to monitor the operational functioning and financial integrity of primary health centres, the African Union has identified the Nigerian leader as the right champion for this noble and actionable continental effort.”

This was disclosed in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the spokesperson to the Nigerian president.

“The Commission of the African Union (Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention — Africa CDC) in a letter to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said President Tinubu was appointed on the recommendation of the Committee of Heads of State and Government of Africa CDC, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union. The statement said.

It added that “In his new role, the Commission subsequently invited President Tinubu to address the Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme (MELP) under the theme, ‘Impactful leadership in health: a whole government approach’, billed for Saturday, February 17, 2024, at the Africa CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the margins of the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government.”