New WHO African regional director to be installed by early June

GENEVA, Switzerland

Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu has been appointed by World Health Organization as Acting Regional Director of the African Regional Office, until a new regional director is nominated and confirmed by the Executive Board – moves all due to happen in May and early June. 

Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu

Meanwhile, the Executive Board also confirmed the appointment of Hans Henri Kluge to a second five-year term as the Regional Director of the European Region. 

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus announced Ihekweazu’s appointment Tuesday at the WHO Executive Board meeting going on this week in Geneva.  

The African Regional Committee of WHO African region member states is set to meet in Geneva on 18 May, just ahead of the World Health Assembly to nominate a new candidate, following the sudden death of the RD-elect. 

The appointment will then be approved, exceptionally, at the WHO EB 157 session, to be held just after the conclusion of the May Assembly, in what WHO’s legal counsel Derek Walton, described as an ‘expedited process’ – which was confirmed by  the EB on Tuesday. 

The moves follow the sudden death of RD-elect Dr Faustine Ndugulile in November 2024. He was due to assume the RD post this month once his election had been confirmed by the WHO Executive Board.

An expedited election process is currently underway to allow candidates for the African RD to campaign for the position, according to a resolution passed by the African Regional Committee in late January.

Candidates are supposed to be nominated by member states by 28 February.  An online candidates forum is then planned for 2 April.   

Chikwe, who joined WHO in 2021, is currently the Assistant Director General and Deputy Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Program in Geneva.

Kluge entered his first term as European Regional Director just ahead of the COVID pandemic, and then had to grapple with the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as the mpox health emergency.  

At the EB meeting, member states gave Kluge highly positive reviews or steering the diverse 53 member European region with a strong hand amidst geopolitical crises, as well as deep social rifts that also defy public health aims – such as  the marginalization of LGBTQI groups in terms of access to HIV/AIDS and other treatments.