Tinubu appointed as AU Champion for health

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President Bola Tinubu has been appointed as the African Union (AU) Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership, in recognition of his ambitious, innovative, and people-focused efforts in the sector.

Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, stated in a release that the appointment acknowledges Tinubu’s commitment to training 120,000 frontline health workers nationwide within 16 months. 

Mr Ajuri added that it also reflects Tinubu’s aim 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.

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Moreover, Tinubu has pledged to double the health personnel enrollment capacity of accredited nursing and midwifery institutions to accommodate the new demand created by new facilities across Nigeria. 

He also intends to establish a paid volunteer youth force of social accountability officers to monitor the functioning and financial integrity of primary health centers. The African Union has identified the Nigerian leader as the ideal champion for this noble and actionable continental effort.

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, stated that President Tinubu was appointed on the recommendation of the Committee of Heads of State and Government of Africa CDC, led by His Excellency, President Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union.

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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,’ scheduled 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.

The Tinubu administration is attracting global investments in Nigeria’s health sector for the provision of cutting-edge infrastructure, equipment, and world-class manpower to improve access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians.