The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has appointed Nigeria’s former Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, as Senior Strategic Adviser to the organisation’s Director-General, Jean Kaseya.
The appointment was announced in a statement released on Monday by Margaret Edwin, Director of Communication and Public Information at Africa CDC.
According to Edwin, the appointment is meant to strengthen leadership capacity as the organisation works to advance important health priorities across the African continent.
She explained that the appointment is in line with the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, which aims to strengthen Africa’s influence in global health matters.
Edwin said the initiative also seeks to increase domestic funding for health systems and expand the local production of health commodities across Africa.
Osinbajo is expected to provide strategic advice on Africa’s role in reforms of global health governance.
According to the statement, the former vice-president will advise on issues such as sustainable health financing, local manufacturing of medical products, and strategic partnerships to strengthen Africa’s health resilience.
Edwin said his role will help support efforts to build stronger cooperation among African countries in addressing public health challenges.
“This appointment reflects Africa CDC’s commitment to mobilising African leadership of the highest calibre in service of the continent’s health security, sovereignty, and development,” she said.
She also stated that Osinbajo’s experience in governance and public policy would contribute greatly to strengthening health systems across member states of the African Union.
The statement further noted that Osinbajo’s expertise would be especially important in areas such as pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response.
The Africa CDC is currently increasing efforts to improve the continent’s ability to respond effectively to health emergencies.
Osinbajo, a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, served as Nigeria’s Vice-President from 2015 to 2023.
During his time in office, he played an important role in policy and governance reforms in the country.
Before becoming vice-president, Osinbajo served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, where he took part in several legal and institutional reforms.
He also chaired Nigeria’s Economic Sustainability Committee, led reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business, and helped advance the country’s social investment programmes while coordinating major economic policies across different sectors.
