(Bloomberg) -- Tanzanian politician Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile has been nominated as the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa for a five-year term.
The vote was taken by regional members of the WHO and comes as the continent faces a lethal mpox outbreak that has spread across at least eight African nations and been declared a global health emergency.
The 55-year-old member of parliament will succeed Matshidiso Moeti, who’s been at the role for two terms, should the WHO board decide in February to approve the appointment.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared the fast-spreading virus a continent-wide public health emergency a day before the WHO widened the designation to a global version.
It was the first time the Africa CDC had invoked this power since being given the mandate in 2023 and the move is helping the body marshal resources so the region can respond quickly to the crisis, rather than relying on the WHO and other global agencies for action.
Sign up here for the twice-weekly Next Africa newsletter
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
