Nigerian Appointed Deputy Director at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A Nigerian medical doctor, Obinna Onyekwena, has been appointed Deputy Director, Infectious Disease Advocacy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington.

Obinna, 44, would be responsible for leading the foundation’s strategies and portfolio of investments for increasing political commitment, resourcing, and implementation of HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, the neglected tropical diseases and The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.  
He earned his medical degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the United Kingdom.

Prior to his appointment, Onyekwena had an outstanding 10-year career at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria where he supported the strengthening of national responses to three of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria – and managed investments that successfully scaled up innovation in delivery of HIV services across Africa and Asia.

Announcing his appointment on his social media yesterday, he said: “Friends and colleagues, I’m thrilled to share that I will be joining the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as their new Deputy Director, Infectious Disease Advocacy, based in Seattle, Washington.
“In this new role I will be leading the advancement of the foundation’s HIV, TB, Malaria and NTD advocacy strategies in partnership with the Program Advocacy and Communications (PAC) team.

“I am grateful for the incredible experience and strong friendships from my time at The Global Fund and the confidence bestowed on me by leadership at the Gates Foundation. I believe there is no better transition to make at this time than to a family working hard together to create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life,” he wrote.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded in 2000 by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda French Gates. Its total assets of nearly US $55 billion (as of year end 2021) makes the Gates Foundation the largest private philanthropy in the world.