Dr Ayoade Alakija Appointed WHO Special Envoy

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appointed a Nigerian, Dr. Ayoade Alakija, as the global health agency’s Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, announced this in a statement on Thursday.

Alakija joins former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, WHO’s current Special Envoy for ACT-A, in this role.

The statement read; “As Special Envoy, Alakija will assist to lead the collective advocacy for the ACT-Accelerator, mobilizing support and resources in order to deliver against its new Strategic Plan and Budget that was introduced on 28 October 2021, and making sure that the response is characterised by accountability, inclusion, and solidarity.”

Ghebreyesus added that she will support the leaders of the ACT-Accelerator’s three product pillars including vaccines, tests, treatments and cross-cutting ‘connector’; consult widely on the work of the ACT-Accelerator; advise the Director-General, ACT-Accelerator principals and stakeholders on emerging issues; and represent the ACT-Accelerator in major national and international fora.

“Dr Alakija brings a tremendous track record in advocating for equitable access to vaccines, tests and treatments, especially for Africa,” stated the WHO DG. “She joins us at a critical juncture in the fight against COVID-19, with the Omicron variant threatening to further constrain equitable access to vaccines, just as the pace of supply was improving. We are very much looking forward to working with her to advocate for the full financing of the ACT Accelerator, and to meeting the global targets for COVID-19 vaccination, testing and treatment.”