President Paul Kagame on Saturday, June 15 met Richard Mihigo, a Rwandan medical doctor, who is one of the five candidates vying for the position of regional director for the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region.

Mihigo, who is not new at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, was proposed by the Rwandan government for the director’s position.

The WHO said in a statement that the names of the five candidates were sent to member states by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday, June 14.

Mihigo, 58, is currently the Senior Director for Programmatic and Strategic Engagement African Union/Africa CDC, at the Geneva-based Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a position he has held since March.

https://x.com/UrugwiroVillage/status/1802013823487930502

Other candidates for the top WHO Africa job are Dr N’da Konan Michel Yao, who was proposed by Côte d’Ivoire; Dr Boureima Hama Sambo of Niger; Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall of Senegal; and Dr Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile of Tanzania.

The Regional Committee of WHO African Region will vote to nominate the next Regional Director in a closed meeting during its Seventy-fourth session due in August in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, the statement said.

It added that the nomination will then be submitted for appointment by the 156th session of the WHO Executive Board, which takes place in January 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The newly appointed Regional Director will take office in February 2024 for a five-year term and be eligible for reappointment once, the statement said.

Who is Dr Richard Mihigo?

Mihigo holds a Master of Public Health degree in International Health obtained from Boston University School of Public Health, USA, in 2003.

He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine; a Bachelor’s in Surgery, obtained from Universite de Kisangani, DR Congo, in 1994.

Between April 2022 and February 2024, Mihigo was the Global Lead and Senior Director for COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery, Coordination and Integration at Gavi.

Prior to joining Gavi, Mihigo was the Regional Coordinator of Immunisation and Vaccine Development Programme at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, a position he held from 2014 until early 2022.

Between 2008 and 2014, Mihigo was the team lead for Immunisation and Vaccine Development Programme at WHO Regional Office for Africa.

From August 2006 to May 2008, Mihigo was the Immunisation and New Vaccines Officer, Inter-Country Support Team for West Africa countries at the WHO, based in Burkina Faso.

From 2004 to 2006, he was the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Inter-Country Programme for Central Africa countries, WHO, based in Cameroon.

Between January and June 2004, Mihigo was the Permanent Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism at the Global Fund, based in Rwanda.

From 2000 to 2003, Mihigo was National Programme Director for Expanded Programme on Immunisation in Rwanda’s Ministry of Health.

From 1999 to 2000, he was the Provincial Medical Director in the Ministry of Health, based in Butare, in Southern Rwanda.

From 1996 to 1999, Mihigo was District Medical Director for Nyanza.

Between 1994 and 1996 he was the Medical Director for Nyanza Hospital.