African Union names Tinubu Champion for Health

The African Union has named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership.

This came on the recommendation of the AU Committee of Heads of State and Government of Africa Center for Disease Control.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president, Ajuri Ngelale, on Friday.

He stated that Tinubu will address participants at the ministerial executive leadership programme this Saturday, February 17, 2024.

The statement which is titled ‘President Tinubu appointed as AU Champion for health’, said the appointment was in “recognition of President Tinubu’s commitment 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 over the next three years,” said the presidency

“The Commission of the African Union (Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention- Africa CDC) conveyed the announcement in a letter to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying the President was appointed on the recommendation of the Committee of Heads of State and Government of Africa CDC, under the leadership of Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union.

Africa CDC said it recognised Tinubu’s doubling of health personnel enrollment capacity from accredited nursing and midwifery institutions to accommodate the new demand created by new facilities across Nigeria, and his resolve to establish a paid volunteer youth force of social accountability officers to monitor the operational functioning and financial integrity of primary health centres.

“The African Union has identified the Nigerian leader as the right champion for this noble and actionable continental effort.

“The Commission has invited Tinubu to address the Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme under the theme, ‘Impactful leadership in health: a whole government approach’, slated 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.”