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As part of the process to nominate the next World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, a live candidates’ forum will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Brazzaville time.
The online forum, which was endorsed by WHO Member States in the Region, is one of the measures adopted to enhance the transparency of the nomination process. The forum will be chaired by the Honorable Louise Mapleh Kpoto, Minister of Health and Wellness of the Republic of Liberia and current First Vice-President of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa.
The forum is a platform that provides each candidate with the opportunity to present their experience and expertise, as well as their vision of the results they hope to achieve if appointed to the position of Regional Director, where they will be expected to fulfill the core mandates of WHO in the African Region.
The four candidates for nomination (listed in alphabetical order by country) are:
Dr. Michel N’da Konan Yao, proposed by Ivory Coast;
Dr. Mohamed Lamine Dramé, proposed by Guinea;
Prof. Janabi Mohamed Yakub, nominated by the United Republic of Tanzania;
and Prof. Moustafa Mijiyawa, proposed by Togo.
Each candidate will present a presentation of up to 20 minutes.
Questions for candidates
Each Member State participating in the online forum may ask questions if it wishes.
Member States are invited to indicate the candidate(s) to whom they wish to pose a question by writing to the Regional Office at GoverningBodiesAfro@who.int no later than 17:00 Brazzaville time on 26 March 2025. Tokens bearing the names of Member States wishing to pose questions will be placed in the designated bags (one container for each candidate). Member States that have nominated a candidate are not expected to pose questions to that candidate.
After each candidate has presented their oral statement, the Chairperson will randomly select tokens, one after the other, until the candidate’s time runs out. Each time a token is selected, the corresponding Member State will be invited to ask the candidate a question, which will be followed by a response.
Question and Answer Session
Member States will have a maximum of one minute to ask a single question. Multi-part questions will not be permitted. Candidates will have a maximum of three minutes to answer each question. Each interview will end when the 40-minute allotted time has elapsed, even if there are still outstanding questions. However, a candidate will be allowed to complete the question at the end of the 40-minute time limit.
Limiting speaking time
A timer will be displayed on the screen to help participants maintain the allotted speaking time during both parts of the interview.
The event will be streamed live in English, French and Portuguese on social media channels and on the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
WHO Regional Office for Africa
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Lusaka — African health ministers and partners are calling for increased investment in integrated health services to address the growing burden of severe noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly those affecting women and underserved populations across the region. At a high-level side event during the Seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, delegates emphasized the urgent need for equitable access to prevention, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation across the continuum of care for NCDs. Disparities are especially pronounced in rural areas, where health infrastructure and services remain inadequate. Breast and cervical cancers are among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa—particularly cervical cancer, which is both preventable and treatable. It remains the most common cause of cancer death for women in the region. In 2022, Africa accounted for nearly a quarter (23%) of the 76 000 global cervical cancer deaths. Meanwhile, severe NCDs such as Type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and heart conditions claim more than half a million lives annually, including among children, adolescents, and young adults in some of the continent’s poorest communities. Inequitable access to health services continues to hinder efforts to reduce this burden. To improve cervical and breast cancer care in the region, urgent investment is needed in leadership, governance, and financing. Strengthening these foundations is critical in the current funding landscape. Advancements in strategic planning, healthcare infrastructure, workforce training, and—most importantly—equitable access to screening, diagnostic, and treatment services are essential. To address these challenges, WHO and its partners showcased successful integrated models such as the Women’s Integrated Care for Cancer Services (WICS), the BEAT Breast Cancer Project, and the PEN-Plus Strategy. WICS strengthens early detection, treatment, and integration of women’s cancer services into primary health care systems in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. The BEAT Breast Cancer Project is a transformative multi-year initiative aimed at reducing breast cancer mortality among women in Tanzania and Ghana through early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment access. “PEN-Plus, WICS and the BEAT Breast Cancer Initiative are models for a new standard of care, rooted in equity, access and health justice. I urge countries to prioritize policies that embed these models into broader health system strengthening, said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa”. Côte d’Ivoire offers a compelling example of progress, combining high HPV vaccination coverage—reaching over three million girls (91.4%)—with WICS-supported community-based screening campaigns to strengthen cervical cancer prevention. In Kenya, cervical cancer screening has been successfully integrated into national health services. “This gathering marks a pivotal moment to accelerate action for breast cancer prevention in Africa. We deeply value the leadership of the Ministries of Health of Ghana and Tanzania, and the steadfast support of the Pfizer Foundation in helping us achieve this milestone. The side event builds momentum for the policy prioritization of women’s cancers, partnerships to strengthen the broader women’s cancer ecosystem, and advance a health-systems approach to breast cancer prevention and management”, said Dr Somesh Kumar, Senior Director, Jhpiego. PEN-Plus expands access to care for severe NCDs at the district hospital level. Since its implementation, 20 countries in Africa have increased access to services for severe NCDs. Over 15 000 people are currently receiving treatment for chronic conditions such as sickle cell disease and Type 1 diabetes through PEN-Plus clinics.
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