Ghana Congratulates New WHO Head

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mrs. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, on Thursday congratulated Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gheybreysus on his election as Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
   
According to the Minister, Dr. Gheybreysus’ election will go a long way to uplift the image of Africa among members of the international community.
   
Dr. Gheybreysus, a former Ethiopian Health Minister won the post in two rounds of balloting on Tuesday, May 23, in Geneva, Switzerland, defeating Dr. David Nabarro of Britain and Dr. Sania Nishtar, a Pakistani cardiologist. 
    
The vote by 185 member states took place by secret ballot.
    
Mrs. Botchwey made the commendation in Accra at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the 54th Africa Union (AU) Day on the theme: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth.”
   
On the recent overwhelming endorsement of Ghana’s Thomas Kwesi Quartey as Deputy Chairman of the AU Commission, Mrs Botchwey said, this clearly demonstrate the high esteem in which Ghana is being held by other African countries.
   
“We are and continue to be grateful for the endorsement,” the Minister stated.
   
At the event, Mrs. Botchwey and Mrs. Pavelyn Tenda Musaka, the Zimbabwean High Commissioner and Dean of the Diplomatic Community jointly inspected a guard of honour parade mounted by members of the security forces.
   
During the flag-raising, Mrs. Botchwey hoisted the Ghana flag, while that of the AU was done by Mrs. Musaka.
   
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the AU, was founded on May 25, 1960, in Addis Baba, Ethiopia.
   
Ghana’s first President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was one of the Founding Fathers of the OAU, which was formed in the wake of the collective quest by African leaders, at the time, to work together in seeking the political emancipation of the continent from the shackles of colonialism and the ills of imperialism.
   
AU Day, also known as Africa day is celebrated annually on 25 May. 
  
It commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963.
  
It is a statutory public holiday in Ghana, The Gambia, Mali, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.


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