President Bola Tinubu has been named the African Union (AU) Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership.
According to the Presidential spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu’s appointment reflects his ambitious, innovative, and people-centered initiatives in the healthcare sector.
The AU acknowledges Tinubu’s pledge 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 within the next three years.
“The doubling of health personnel enrollment capacity from accredited nursing and midwifery institutions to meet the increased demand generated by new facilities across Nigeria, along with the establishment of a paid volunteer youth force of social accountability officers to oversee the operational functioning and financial integrity of primary health centers, has been identified by the organization,” he stated.
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Ngelale explained that the appointment was conveyed through a letter from the Commission of the African Union (Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention— Africa CDC) to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It was conveyed that President Tinubu was appointed based on the recommendation of the Committee of Heads of State and Government of Africa CDC, chaired by His Excellency, President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union,” he added.
The Presidential spokesman noted that in his new capacity, Tinubu has been invited by the Commission to address the Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme (MELP) themed ‘Impactful Leadership in Health: A Whole Government Approach.’
“The program is scheduled 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,” Ngelale stated.
He emphasized that the Tinubu administration is actively attracting global investments into Nigeria’s health sector to enhance the provision of cutting-edge infrastructure, equipment, and highly skilled personnel for improved access to quality healthcare services for Nigerians.
NAN
