The announcement that Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, deputy director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, will leave Africa CDC has been met with mixed reactions ranging from predictions that his departure “will cripple the organisation” to its perception as “a loss”.
Kenya’s Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, the acting deputy director-general at Africa CDC, is resigning from the organization this month. He wasn’t allowed to apply to retain the position due to country quotas. The continent’s big health body has lost such an expert! What a loss! pic.twitter.com/6VVXS2kpK7
— Enock Bett (@ThisIsBett) March 6, 2024
Ouma reportedly resigned from his position as acting deputy due to geographic and age restrictions placed on the call for applicants to the permanent post, Devex reported, citing an internal memo.
The restriction precludes people over the age of 55, as well as to Kenyans, who are over-represented in Africa CDC, from applying for the post. Ouma’s formal resignation is expected later this month.
The official AU announcement for the position in September 2023 encouraged candidates from “less represented countries within the African Union” – although it did not specifically exclude Kenyans.
But in an X post in December, the CDC’s new director general, A Jean Kaseya made it even more explicit. He said the “ideal candidate” for the deputy director general position should be “under the age of 55” years and from one of the AU’s 32 under-represented countries – effectively excluding Ouma on two counts.
Africa CDC advertises the position of Deputy Director general (DDG) of Africa CDC at D2 level in addition to some other senior positions (Director) at D1 level. We are looking for strong, committed, and outstanding leaders. Female candidates are strongly encouraged.
Please here…— Jean Kaseya (@JeanKaseya2) December 27, 2023
Kaseya, when he assumed the post of Africa CDC director general following his February 2023 election by AU heads of state, made it clear that he wants Africa CDC to reflect the true diversity of the continent.
Effectively, however, the move also clears the table of previous leadership that could challenge Kaseya politically and institutionally in his new role. In the months prior to Kaseya taking office, Ouma was acting director of Africa CDC.
Ouma led the continent through the final stages of the COVID pandemic as well as the 2022 global mpox health emergency. In both episodes he quickly made a name for himself, asserting a strong role for the Africa health agency.
He argued with WHO over the right of Africa CDC to declare continental health emergencies – in cases where WHO’s own legal powers relate solely to global health emergency declarations. Ouma also demanded more mpox diagnostics and vaccine allocations for Africa – where the disease is endemic but medical tools to prevent and treat it remain largely unavailable.
Kaseya acknowledged Ouma’s remarkable tenure at the Africa CDC, stating that he was instrumental in navigating the center “through unprecedented times”, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaseya also recognized Ouma’s critical role in laying the groundwork for the AU decision in February 2022 to elevate Africa CDC’s status from a technical arm of the AU to an autonomous public health agency.
Ouma, joined Africa CDC in September 2019 as deputy director, a position he held till May 2022 when he became the acting director following the departure of John Nkengasong for a job in the United States as head of PEPFAR, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief. Nkengasong built the agency from an AU department into a quasi-autonomous entity, a pathway that Ouma continued in his year-long tenure.
After Kaseya, a Congolese national, took on the post as Africa CDC’s director in mid-2023, Ouma then became acting deputy director once again. Prior to arriving at Africa CDC, Ouma held several leadership positions in the World Health Organization, including as a senior advisor to WHO’s Director General on non-communicable diseases.
Last week, Ogwell was at Harvard completing a Rockefeller Foundation seminar on “executive leadership”.
An excellent week time spent at the @HarvardHBS polishing up on strategic leadership. I’m better prepared to lead! #NewPublicHealthOrder #Agenda2063 @_AfricanUnion @RockefellerFdn pic.twitter.com/HwCEWnC1ku
— 𝔻𝕣. 𝔸𝕙𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕆𝕘𝕨𝕖𝕝l – FAPH (@laktarr001) March 4, 2024
Reflecting and looking ahead
Speaking to Health Policy Watch on the sidelines of the recently held third International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2023), Ouma expressed pride in the current status of Africa CDC, noting its evolution into a globally trusted leader in pandemic response.
He also highlighted the institution’s growth from humble beginnings to its central role in leading public health responses on the continent, while also spearheading partnerships and initiatives such as Saving Lives and Livelihoods partnership between Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundaiton which sought to scale up COVID vaccination on the continent, and lay the groundwork for local vaccine manufacturing.
Ouma emphasized the importance of building and maintaining public health capacity on the continent, with the Africa CDC facilitating coordination and networking among African countries. He noted progress in establishing Public Health Emergency Operation Centers at the country level to ensure real-time information access, laboratory readiness, and expert deployment. Ouma stressed the need to reinforce these efforts to enhance Africa’s preparedness for future outbreaks.
“Africa CDC’s role is to ensure that countries are networked. Having a public health emergency operation center is a sure way for countries to maintain the infrastructure developed at Africa CDC,” Ouma told Health Policy Watch.
Looking ahead, Ouma stated that Africa CDC’s experiences during the pandemic provide valuable lessons for future interventions. He emphasized the organization’s aim to continue building resilience, prioritizing local needs, and selecting appropriate implementing partners to strengthen health security in Africa.
He also emphasized the importance of not waiting for everything to be in place before taking action. Ouma stressed that when it comes to saving lives, it’s crucial to start with the resources available and then improve the approach as needed.
“Don’t wait for everything to be in place before you act. When you want to save lives, you start saving lives with what you have, and you fix it as you go along,” he said.
–Elaine Ruth Fletcher contributed reporting to this article.
