Health

UN Foundation appoints Dr Ahmed Ogwell as VP of Global Health Strategy

Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma. (Photo: Africa CDC)

By Barack Oduor | Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Kenyan doctor recently served as Acting Deputy Director-General at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

The United Nations Foundation has appointed Kenyan doctor Ahmed Ogwell Ouma to serve as its next Vice President of Global Health Strategy.

Ahmed will spearhead one of the UN Foundation's largest portfolios spanning global health policy, advocacy, convening, and grant making, in support of the United Nations and its health-related causes.

Keep reading

"We are delighted to welcome Ahmed to the Foundation. His 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 the UN Foundation.

Ahmed 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 a new Statute for the agency, as well as driving its vision of Africa's New Public Health Order.

He also managed the institution's response to COVID-19 and a range of other health threats.

Health diplomacy

Prior to joining Africa CDC, Ahmed held distinguished roles at the World Health Organization and with Kenya's Ministry of Health in health policy and health diplomacy, working on issues ranging from non-communicable diseases to health emergencies.

"The UN Foundation has long been a catalytic player in the global health community, spearheading innovative new platforms and partnerships to advance international cooperation on health," said Dr Ahmed upon his appointment.

"I look forward to joining the Foundation at this pivotal moment for global health, as we work toward a future where everyone can realize their right to good health and well-being."

The UN Foundation has prioritised global health since its establishment in 1998.

This has included bringing the UN and partners together through new platforms for collective action, such as the Measles & Rubella Partnership; designing novel, pooled financing instruments, including the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund which ultimately raised over $250 million; and building impactful campaigns to strengthen constituencies for the UN's work on sexual and reproductive health and rights, immunisation and malaria.

In recent years, the UN Foundation has sharpened its global health policy analysis and influence to motivate smart, effective collective-action solutions to some of the world's biggest health challenges — from Universal Health Coverage to health services access for displaced populations, to antimicrobial resistance, and pandemic preparedness and response.

Ahmed will be based at the Foundation's Washington, D.C. office.