Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Dr Ifedayo Adetifa is the new Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) following the approval of his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, September 6.
Dr Adetifa will replace Mr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who was recently appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, as the assistant DG of the global health body in charge of its Pandemic and Epidemic Response Hub in Berlin, Germany.
The appointment of Mr Adetifa was announced was made on Monday night in a statement issued by Mr Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.
He also said the President approved the setting up of a Health Sector Reform Committee.
The committee, headed by Vice President, Mr Yemi Osinbajo, as chairman, is expected to commence the development and implementation of a programme for Nigeria in collaboration with the state governments and the FCT administration.
“President Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa as the new Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control,” part of the statement read.
Dr Adetifa obtained his medical degree at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State and trained in Paediatrics and Child Health at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria.
There he was awarded the Fellowship of the West Africa College of Physicians in Paediatrics.
He studied for the MSc in Epidemiology at the school and got his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
He has worked overseas as a Clinical Epidemiologist at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.
His vaccine policy advisory roles include membership of the Kenyan National Immunisation Coordination Committee, the WHO AFRO Regional Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (RITAG), the Advisory Group of the WHO Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, and the WHO Technical Advisory Group on RSV vaccines.
