Tinubu Names Gavi’s Chief Strategist Kelechi Ohiri DG NHIA, Muyi Aina CEO NPHCDA

President Bola Tinubu has appointed new chief executive officers for the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, formerly the Managing Director for Strategy at the Global Alliance for Vaccines in Geneva, Switzerland, was named Director-General / CEO of NHIA.

Dr. Muyi Aina, a public health expert, was appointed Executive Secretary / CEO of NPHCDA.

Aina earned his medical degree from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State. Additionally, he holds an MPH in International Health from Harvard University and a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

On his part, Ohiri holds a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University (USA) and another Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

His career includes service at the World Bank, McKinsey & Company, and contributions to the reform of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS).

Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu’s media adviser, said the appointments are with immediate effect.

Ohiri’s profile as obtained from Gavi’s website reads, “A public health physician and health policy adviser, Kelechi Ohiri is Gavi’s Chief Strategy, Policy & Innovation Officer. In this role, he oversees a portfolio that includes Gavi’s work on policy, vaccine programmes, health system & immunisation strengthening, and immunization financing & sustainability.

“From 2020–2023, Kelechi served on Gavi’s Programme and Policy Committee (PPC), which assists the Board in the programmatic and policy oversight of the Vaccine Alliance; from 2021–2023, he also served on the Partnerships Team.

“Before joining Gavi, Kelechi was Chief Executive Officer of Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation, an Africa-focused, not-for-profit public health advisory firm; and a visiting scientist at Harvard University. He also co-founded both the Healthcare Leadership Academy which provides leadership and management training to clinicians and policymakers; and the Africa-focused social impact investment and advisory firm Flint Atlantic. In Nigeria, Kelechi served as senior adviser to two Ministers of Health and to a Minister of Finance; and he led the delivery of several large-scale programmes in the country, including the Saving One Million Lives initiative, and the design of the National Social Safety Net Program.

“Prior to this, Kelechi was with the London office of McKinsey & Company, working with public and private sector clients in Europe and Africa. He has also held positions with the World Bank Group, focusing on social protection, and strengthening health systems in Asia and the Middle East. He has written policy papers and peer-reviewed articles; and he has co-authored books on health systems. Kelechi has served on several global expert advisory committees and on the Board of the World Health Organization’s Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.

“Kelechi earned a medical degree from the University of Lagos. He also holds a Master of Public Health degree and a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management, both from Harvard University. He is a Desmond Tutu Fellow of the African Leadership Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.”