Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been named the African Union’s (AU) Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership.
This appointment underscores President Tinubu’s steadfast commitment to pioneering innovative and community-oriented initiatives within Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
President Tinubu’s designation comes in recognition of his ambitious agenda to train 120,000 frontline healthcare workers nationwide within 16 months and to substantially increase the number of primary healthcare facilities in communities across all local government areas, from 8,800 to over 17,000, over the next three years.
The African Union Commission, through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), conveyed this appointment in a letter addressed to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It highlighted President Tinubu’s nomination by the Committee of Heads of State and Government of Africa CDC, led by His Excellency, President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union.
These developments were disclosed in a statement released on Friday by Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity.
In his new capacity, President Tinubu will deliver the keynote address at the Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme (MELP) themed ‘Impactful Leadership in Health: A Whole Government Approach’. The event is slated for Saturday, February 17, 2024, at the Africa CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, coinciding with the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government.
The AU Commission on Health commended President Tinubu for expanding the enrollment capacity of accredited nursing and midwifery institutions to meet the heightened demand generated by the establishment of new healthcare facilities across Nigeria.
Furthermore, the Africa CDC applauded the Nigerian leader’s initiative to establish a paid volunteer youth force comprising social accountability officers. This force will be tasked with monitoring the operational functionality and financial transparency of primary healthcare centres.