By Iyemah David
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system, addressing disease outbreaks, and eradicating polio.
Acting Regional Director for Africa, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated his first official visit to Nigeria on Friday in Abuja since assuming office.
Dr Ihekweazu highlighted Nigeria’s strategic importance to WHO’s work in Africa.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appointed Dr Ihekweazu to serve as the acting regional director for Africa, succeeding Dr Matshidiso Moeti, who led the regional office for 10 years.
This appointment follows the death of Dr Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile, a career politician from Tanzania, who was slated to be the next regional director.
Dr Ndugulile passed away in November, just three months after his election.
Dr Ihekweazu, a Nigerian, currently serves as the Assistant Director-General for the Division of Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems at the WHO.
He joined WHO in 2021 after serving as the inaugural Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), where he played a key role in Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ihekweazu emphasised that Nigeria is the largest health programme office for WHO in Africa.
This made it a priority for him to visit during his second week in office in order to better understand the ongoing work in support of the federal government.
He lauded Nigeria’s proactive approach to health reforms and commended the leadership of the Minister of Health, noting that WHO’s role was to provide technical and strategic support for national health priorities.
Dr Ihekweazu also addressed the resurgence of variant type 2 poliovirus in Nigeria, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance and a coordinated response.
He stressed the importance of a robust vaccination campaign and effective surveillance strategies.
“The resilience of the Nigerian health system is remarkable, and we are confident that with strong coordination, we can eliminate this threat,” he stated.
In discussing broader health system challenges in Africa, Dr Ihekweazu acknowledged issues such as workforce shortages and inadequate infrastructure.
He stressed the urgency of reforms to ensure sustainable healthcare delivery across the continent, noting that while African countries, including Nigeria, were producing healthcare graduates, integrating them into the public sector remained a challenge.
“The key question is: how does the public sector integrate these trained professionals into the health system to serve our people?” he said, adding that WHO plays a crucial role in supporting governments in designing sustainable workforce retention strategies.
He also recognised Nigeria’s health financing reforms, regulatory improvements, and primary healthcare revitalisation efforts under the government’s SWAP (Sector-Wide Approach) initiative.
He lauded the country’s progress, stating, “Nigeria is making commendable progress in reforming its health sector, from financing to service delivery. WHO will continue to support these reforms to build a more resilient health system.”
Regarding the recent disease outbreaks in Africa and beyond, Ihekweazu highlighted the need for stronger surveillance and response mechanisms.
He reassured that WHO was providing technical and operational support in response to the unknown disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the measles outbreak in Texas, USA.
“Health threats know no borders,” he said, stressing the need for continued strengthening of immunisation programmes and surveillance systems globally.
Dr Ihekweazu also addressed the global decline in donor funding for health programmes, urging African governments to take greater ownership of healthcare financing.
He emphasised that WHO was committed to ensuring countries build sustainable health systems with strong domestic funding mechanisms.
WHO’s renewed commitment to polio eradication, health system reforms, and disease surveillance is expected to support Nigeria’s efforts in addressing both immediate and long-term health challenges.
