Former deputy director of Africa CDC Ahmed Ogwell lands UN job
What you need to know:
Dr Ahmed Ogwell, who previously served as the deputy director at Africa CDC, has been appointed the new vice president of global health strategy at the United Nations Foundation.
He will relocate to Washington DC, in the US for this new role. According to ZipRecruiter, a prominent American public employment marketplace for job seekers and employers, Dr Ogwell will receive a yearly salary of Sh25,393,702 ($193,108), including all the perks associated with the position.
This comes three weeks after Dr Ogwell resigned after being barred from reapplying for another term.
This followed the introduction of rotational quotas to ensure more countries are represented in African Union agencies.
As per Africa CDC, Dr Ogwell 's former job paid an indicative basic salary of Sh14.3 million (US$100,017.00) per year plus other related entitlements.
The entitlements include post adjustment (46 per cent of basic salary), housing allowance up to Sh3.8 million per year (US$ 26,208) and education allowance (100 per cent of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of Sh1.4 million (US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum).
Global health policy
Last year, in an official tweet, Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya indicated that the position of deputy director general must come from one of the 32 countries listed, but Kenya was missing from the list.
On Wednesday, the UN Foundation officially unveiled Dr Ogwell, stating that he will spearhead one of the foundation’s largest portfolios spanning global health policy, advocacy, convening, and grantmaking in support of the United Nations and its health-related causes.
“We are delighted to welcome Ahmed to the Foundation. Ahmed’s wealth of experience with health diplomacy, policy, institution-building, and delivery will be invaluable to the Foundation’s work of strengthening multilateral solutions to tackle global health challenges,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of UN Foundation.
The UN body added that Dr Ogwell brings 28 years of experience in public health at national, regional, and global levels to the UN Foundation.
“He most recently served as Acting Deputy Director-General at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), after a long tenure that also included serving as Acting Director and the founding Deputy Director during a period of significant growth and transformation for the Continent’s public health agency. At Africa CDC, he led the development of the agency's new statute and drove its vision of "Africa’s New Public Health Order.”
Dr Ogwell’s new employer further added that he managed the institution’s response to Covid-19 and a range of other health threats.
New appointment
Before joining Africa CDC, Ogwell held distinguished roles at the World Health Organisation and Kenya’s Ministry of Health.
Dr Ogwell told Business Daily he left Africa CDC because he felt it was time to make contributions elsewhere.
“It’s incorrect that Kenya supported another candidate when I ran for commissioner. Since Rwanda from the Eastern Region got the Deputy Chairperson, no other country from the same region could get the commissioner. I was the front runner!” he said.
“I decided to leave Africa CDC at the end of March 2024 for personal reasons. It has not been easy to make this decision, considering my love and commitment to Africa, but the time has come for me to pursue my professional and personal growth elsewhere. I also confirm that my decision is unrelated to or motivated by any of the ongoing recruitment processes within Africa CDC or the Africa Union ( AU),” Dr Ogwell added.
At the same time, he said he was happy about his new appointment.
“I took a small breath of fresh air and am now back. I am excited to join the high-achieving team at the UN Foundation because I bring my knowledge, skills, and experience.” Dr Ogwell said.
“I look forward to making my modest contribution to help people achieve better health.”
llidigu@ke.nationmedia.com