The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the appointment of Dr. Ayoade Alakija as the organization’s Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The ACT-Accelerator partnership is a global program created to provide accelerated development and equitable distribution of vaccines, tests, and treatments. The Director-General, WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus announced Alakija’s appointment in a statement on Thursday.
Ghebreyesus said, “Dr. Alakija brings a tremendous track record in advocating for equitable access to vaccines, tests, and treatments, especially for Africa. 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.”
Alakija, a trained medical doctor, has a Masters's degree from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Public Health and Epidemiology.
She was the former Chief Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria and currently serves as co-chair for the Africa Union Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance for COVID-19.
In response to her appointment, Alakija said, “I come to this role to serve and to be part of a team that will ensure that the fruits of our collective work bring meaningful access and dignity in health in this pandemic that is felt in every village, town and city.”
Alakija would join the former Prime Minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt, to serve in the same role.
