The Health Minister of Togo, Prof. Moustafa Mijiyawa, has been elected Chair of the Africa CDC Governing Board for a term of three years. He was unanimously chosen by representatives of Member States present in the 6th meeting of the Board in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 2 December 2019.
Prof. Mijiyawa, an Officer of the Order of Academic Palms and Knight of the Order of Mono, has been Togo’s Minister of Health and Public Hygiene since June 2015. A professor of rheumatology, Prof. Mijiyawa has over 30 years of experience in patient care, medical education, physiotherapy, prosthetics, and orthotics in and outside Togo. He has been Director, Ecole Nationale des Auxiliaires Médicaux, Lomé, for the past 24 years and coordinator of the rheumatology residency programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Lomé. He was Head of Department of Rheumatology at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital, Togo, for 22 years, and was a Member of the Jury of the 8th Competition for Aggregation of Medicine, pharmacy, odontology and Veterinary of the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES) from 2002 to 2016.
Prof. Mijiyawa is passionate about medical scientific writing, non-medical aspects of medicine, and human sciences. He is a supporter of the holistic approach to patient care.
Similarly, the Gabon Minister of Health, Hon. Dr Max Limoukou, who was represented in the meeting by Dr Anne-Marie Ambourhouet, Director-General in the Ministry of Health, Gabon, was elected Vice Chair by the Member States.
Both the Chair and Vice Chair assumed duties immediately following a handing over by the outgoing board members to the new members.
In her remarks to participants in the meeting, the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, H.E. Amira Elfadil, commended the outgoing board members for the progress made during their term under the chairmanship and vice chairmanship of the Ethiopia Minister of Health and the Nigeria Minister of Health, respectively. She charged the new chair and deputy chair, and other board members to improve on the achievements of the inaugural and outgoing board members.
“We have seen significant progress in the operations of Africa CDC during the term of the outgoing board, particularly in defining the structure and staffing, and the endorsement of the first five-year strategic plan. I welcome the incoming board members and the new Chair and believe that they will add new perspectives to the wonderful work done by the outgoing board,” said H.E. Elfadil.
Prof. Mijiyawa thanked the board members for the confidence in his ability to lead the board for the next three years and requested their cooperation as they work together in supporting Africa CDC to address Africa’s health challenges.
The Governing Board provides strategic guidance to the Africa CDC secretariat on all issues, in accordance with the African Union policies and procedures. It consists of 15 members, 10 of which are representatives of African Union Member States.
Africa CDC and the entire African Union family wish Prof. Mijiyawa success as Chair of the Board.
