Former Nigerian Minister is New CEO of Global Vaccine Alliance

Nigeria's former Minister of State for Health, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the vaccine alliance, GAVI, the Premium Times reports.

Dr Pate will assume his role on August 3, 2023 when he will take over from Seth Berkley, who has led the alliance in the past 12 years, GAVI announced on Monday February 13, 2023.

Dr Pate is medical doctor trained in both internal medicine and infectious diseases, with an MBA from Duke University in the United States, He served as Nigeria's Minister of State for Health between 2011 and 2013. In that role, he led a flagship initiative to revive routine vaccinations and primary health care, chaired a presidential taskforce to eradicate polio and introduced new vaccines into the country.

Dr Maria Guevara, International Medical Secretary of Médecins Sans Frontières /Doctors Without Borders, welcomed the appointment. "GAVI and its new CEO must... prioritise access to catch-up vaccinations everywhere, especially in humanitarian emergencies, for zero-dose and under-immunised children, covering those over the age of one as well," the organisation said in a press release.

This article originally appeared on AllAfrica.

Image via Arise News.