Dr Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile of Tanzania (middle) was nominated as the next director for WHO African Region. (WHO/Daniel Elombat/Supplied)
- Tanzania’s Dr Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile beat competition from Senegal, Rwanda, and Niger for the WHO Africa’s top job.
- The incumbent, Dr Matshidiso Moeti of Botswana, is due to leave in February.
- At the same time, three East African Community presidents joined President William Ruto in Kenya as he launched Raila Odinga’s AU chairpersonship campaign.
Tanzania’s Dr Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile will take over from Botswana’s Dr Matshidiso Moeti, who is finishing her two five-year terms as the director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Africa in February next year.
Ndugulile was nominated through a vote on Tuesday in Brazzaville, Congo, during the 74th session of the WHO regional committee for Africa.
Other candidates were Dr Boureima Hama Sambo from Niger, Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall from Senegal, and Dr Richard Mihigo of Rwanda.
Ndugulile’s nomination will be submitted to the WHO executive board during its 156th session, which will convene in Geneva in February 2025.
Congratulations, @DocFaustine, on your nomination as @WHOAFRO Regional Director.
This is an extremely fulfilling role & despite the challenges, I know you will take the baton & go on to accelerate the gains already made, putting the health of the people of Africa at the centre. pic.twitter.com/f9WcGMUTMm— Dr Matshidiso Moeti (@MoetiTshidi) August 27, 2024
In a statement, Ethiopia’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general welcomed Ngugulile’s nomination.
“I and the entire WHO family in Africa and around the world will support you every step of the way,” he said.
AU’s top job race heat up
Also on Tuesday, a different key continental job saw a rare occurrence when sitting President William Ruto of Kenya showered praises on his erstwhile rival, Raila Odinga, as he set him up for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairpersonship.
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In his address in front of three East African Community presidents, and numerous former presidents and diplomats in Nairobi, Ruto said Odinga was a true leader.
“Mr Odinga’s remarkable leadership and exemplary career make him a perfect fit to sit at the helm of the AUC and drive Africa’s transformation and Agenda 2063.
He added:
He is an ardent champion of African unity, African integration, infrastructural connectivity and youth empowerment.
Kenya’s deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, added to Odinga’s praises, referring to him as “Kenya’s finest to go and lead Africa”.
In attendance were Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Samia Suluhu from Tanzania, and South Sudan’s Salva Kiir.
Burundian Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca, former Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete and Olusegun Obasanjo from Nigeria also came to show their support for Ruto and Odinga.
The other candidates for the AUC post are Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Djibouti’s foreign minister, former Mauritius foreign minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan and Richard James Randriamandrato, Madagascar’s former foreign minister.
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