This morning, the new Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe held a diplomatic briefing on recent developments in the region.
He also touched on upcoming events and introduced Dr Richard Mihigo to the diplomatic corps in Kigali.
Dr. Richard Mihigo is Rwanda’s nominated candidate for Regional Director of World Health Organization (WHO) African Region.
Born in Bukavu in eastern DRC, Dr Mihigo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine, Université de Kisangani, DRC, in 1994, and a Master of Public Health degree in International Health from Boston University School of Public Health, USA, obtained in 2003.
He held numerous positions, including advisory roles at WHO and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Dr Mihigo also served as an advisor at United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Rwanda.
Locally, he served as the first Medical Director of Nyanza Hospital in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Today, Dr Mihigo doubles as the Senior Director of Programmatic and Strategic Engagement at the African Union/Africa CDC and advisor at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), a position he has held since March 2024.
His competitors for the WHO African Region role include Dr. N’da Konan Michel Yao from Côte d’Ivoire, Dr. Boureima Hama Sambo of Niger, Senegal’s Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall and Tanzanian Doctor Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile.
The Regional Committee of the WHO African Region will vote to nominate the next Regional Director in a closed-door meeting during its 74th session from 26th to 30th August 2024 in Congo Brazzaville.
The nominee will then be submitted for appointment by the 156th session of the WHO Executive Board, set for January 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The newly appointed Regional Director will take office on February 1, 2025, for a five-year term, renewable once. (End).