The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has congratulated Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu on his appointment as Executive Director of the World Health Organisation Health Emergencies Programme.

Ihekweazu succeeds Dr. Mike Ryan, who is an epidemiologist and specialises in infectious diseases and public health.

Ryan served as Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme since 2019, and his team was responsible for WHO’s response to disease outbreaks, humanitarian crises, and other public health emergencies.

At the forefront of managing acute risks to global health for nearly 25 years, Ryan first joined WHO in 1996, within a newly established unit responding to emerging and epidemic disease threats.

A statement on Sunday signed by the Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations at the FMOH&SW, Alaba Balogun, the Minister described Ihekweazu’s appointments as “the right choice at the right time,” especially in these uncertain times marked by pandemics, climate-related health threats, and fragile health systems.

Pate said Ihekweazu brings deep expertise in global health security and epidemic intelligence, as his appointment comes at a time when the world urgently needs principled, effective leadership to respond to complex and growing public health emergencies.

“Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu is an exceptional leader and a loyal team player. I am confident that his tenure will further strengthen global health security and emergency preparedness. His visionary leadership, experience, and unwavering dedication to public health will serve the world well.

“The world is changing rapidly, and the future of global health depends on bold, trusted, and compassionate leadership. Dr. Ihekweazu embodies all of this—and more. The WHO has made an excellent choice.

“To this end, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare celebrates this proud milestone and reaffirms its full support for Dr. Ihekweazu as he assumes this vital global role,” Pate noted.

Ihekweazu was the first Director General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention from August 2016 until 2021.

In 2017, Ihekweazu served as Interim Director of the West Africa Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control. He has also held positions in the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute.

Ihekweazu trained as an infectious disease epidemiologist and is a graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria. He has a Master of Public Health from the Heinrich-Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany. In 2003, he was awarded a Fellowship for the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training and subsequently completed his public health specialization at the United Kingdom’s Faculty for Public Health.

In November 2021, Ihekweazu was appointed the Assistant Director-General for the Division of Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems in the Emergencies Programme and led the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.

In February 2025, he was appointed the acting Regional Director of the World Health Organisation in Africa, after the unexpected death of Dr. Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile.