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Zvamaida Murwira, Harare Bureau
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday met a special envoy from Tanzanian President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan with a call to have Africa become independent in managing its health affairs in the wake of the withdrawal of technical support from development partners from Western countries.

Tanzania’s Foreign Affairs and East Africa Co-operation Minister, Ambassador Thabit Mahmoud Kombo, delivered a special message to President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare where they held bilateral discussions.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Amb Kombo said the primary objective was to present Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, a SADC endorsed candidate for the next regional director for the World Health Organisation African region.

Five candidates nominated by their countries are competing for the position, which became vacant following the death of Dr Faustine Ndugulile, the former WHO regional director-elect for Africa and former Tanzanian Minister of Health, who passed away on November 27, 2024.

“I came with a special message from my President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan who calls President Mnangagwa her senior elder brother to deliver a message.

“We thank him for the kind and warm welcome and the hosting that we have always enjoyed as SADC members and him, President Mnangagwa, as our SADC Chair.

“I came also with another message about a candidate that will be running for the Afro Region World Health Organisation director, as you know we lost the previous one who was from Tanzania, Dr Faustine Ndugulile; we lost him just before starting his term as director of WHO for African region.

“Because of the sudden loss, we have put up another candidate and according to the procedure of WHO, we have to go through all the member States,” said Amb Kombo.

He added that in terms of their tradition as Tanzanians, they start by meeting elders and the elder in the region is SADC, which has 16 countries.

From SADC, which is the sub-regional body, they go to the African Union.

“We have already been to AU as our elder brother, we met President (Joao) Laurenco (of Angola) and today we are meeting another elder brother, Chairperson of our own SADC region.

“He received our message very well. This candidate I have is Prof Janabi, he has already been endorsed by the SADC region as our sole candidate for all the 16 countries,” Amb Kombo said.

Prof Janabi said his objective was to bring transformative changes in African health discourse and ensure the continent becomes independent.

“One of the goals which I want to do is the transformative changes, which I am picking the baton from Dr Matshidiso Moeti, to continue the transformative changes if elected, especially now that we are all aware of the geopolitical tension with the donors in WHO.

“So, I think you can look at it in two ways; you can look at it as a challenge or you can look at it as an opportunity. I look at it as an opportunity for the Afro region, which has got 47 countries.

“I think it’s high time we should think of being independent in managing our health matters, because African problems are supposed to be solved by Africans ourselves,” said Prof Janibi, a cardiologist.

He said he would ensure universal healthcare for everyone if elected, using his vast experience in health issues.

“I am the chief executive officer of Muhimbili National Hospital, our largest hospital in the country with 2 400 beds (and) 4 000 staff. We see roughly 4 000 patients every day, but on top of that, I am senior advisor to the current President Dr Hassan on health matters, policy and nutrition.

“So, I do advise a lot on primary healthcare, universal health coverage, and equity, because what we want is universal health coverage, so there should be equity. Every citizen, the 47 member States, should get the basic services,” he said.

Apart from Prof Janabi, other contenders are Dr N’da Konan Michel Yao from Côte d’Ivoire, Dr Dramé Mohammed Lamine from Guinea, Dr Boureima Hama Sambo from Niger and Prof Mijiyawa Moustafa from Togo.

According to the WHO appointment process, any member State of the African region may propose a candidate for the post of regional director.

The nomination is conducted by secret ballot during a private meeting of the regional committee session scheduled to take place on May 18, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Following the regional committee meeting, the nominated regional director will be officially appointed by the WHO Executive Board, based on the nomination made by the WHO Regional Committee for Africa.

The WHO regional director serves a five-year term, with the possibility of one reappointment.