The coronavirus pandemic has seized the world in multiple ways, snuffing lives out of humans, economies and everyday activities of millions across the globe.
Africa's top COVID-19 technocrats: Africa CDC's John Nkengasong
The fight against the rampaging virus has been classed as one that can be won if all hands now more than ever are brought on deck, from the frontline workers to the infected, from the ordinary citizen to the political class, from the national level to the global levels.
Almost the same prevention / containment routine was employed across much of the world, from the now famous lockdowns to ‘stay at home’ appeals, social / physical distancing measures, testing and ban on gatherings etc.
In the frontline are the hundreds of thousands of health workers, many across Africa who are risking it all for the collective safety of the population. The fight is a holistic one that calls on everyone irrespective of age, status, nationality, profession, religion or gender.
More often than not, we have seen politicians leading the charge via presidents, ministers and other top government officials. This article zooms in on technocrats leading Africa’s response at different levels be it at the health, diplomatic, social or economic levels.
We profile each candidate along the following metrics: current role and base, tenure, work and personal history and notable COVID-19 related quotes.
Note must be made that an African is currently leading the global fight in the person of the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the former Ethiopian Health Minister who has been lauded and slammed same for his handling of the pandemic.
“READ MORE – Africanews’ 2017 profile of WHO DG, Dr. Tedros”: https://www.africanews.com/2017/05/22/ethiopia-s-tedros-adhanom-10-top-facts-about-africa-s-who-candidate/
Matshidiso Moeti: DG WHO Africa
The WHO Africa region has been under the spotlight for among other reasons projections of a case spike in a vast region that has well documented health system challenges.
Leading the overall health response with a heavy political and diplomatic weight is the WHO Director General for the Africa region, Matshidiso Moeti shoulders that responsibility from Congo-Brazzaville where the regional headquarters is based.
She leads the daily briefings giving updates on the virus and reviewing measures that are at different levels of execution across the continent. She sometimes has hard words for governments for actions and inactions that end up complicating the response.
But she is not a stranger to epidemics, not for a medic with over four decades experience in public health at the international, continental, regional and national levels. Aside COVID-19, she also coordinates response to Ebola and other disease outbreaks.
Her work in combating HIV/AIDS has been well documented with the “3 by 5” Initiative for Africa – a WHO programme that led to significant ease in access to anti-retro-viral therapy for persons with the disease.
She had previously worked within the United Nations structure with UNAIDS and UNICEF before joining WHO in 1999 as Deputy Regional Director, Assistant Regional Director, Director of Noncommunicable Diseases, WHO Representative for Malawi, Coordinator of the Inter-Country Support Team for the South and East African countries and Regional Advisor for HIV/AIDS.
Born in South Africa, schooled at a point in Swaziland (eSwatini) she is a Batswana having served as a one-time clinician and public health specialist with the Botswana Health Ministry. She is the daughter of doctors and married to a doctor.
She is the first woman to be elected as WHO Regional Director for Africa, she is currently serving her second five-year term, she was re-elected earlier this year, her tenure ends in 2025.
Official biography Matshidiso Moeti