The new WHO Representative to Uganda, Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu, presented his credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, Hon Sam Kutesa, at a brief ceremony held on Friday 14th June 2013. The ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Soon after, the two held discussions on diverse health development issues in Uganda.

During the discussion, Dr Alemu assured Hon. Kutesa continued close collaboration of WHO with the Government and people of Uganda. This collaboration is especially in the areas of health system strengthening, disease prevention and control including malaria, HIV/AIDS, epidemic preparedness and response and maternal and child health. WHO will also work with other partners to ensure that health issues prioritized by the government are supported to maximize impact. Dr Alemu thanked the Hon Minister and through him the Government of Uganda for the excellent support provided to WHO.

Hon. Kutesa formally welcomed Dr Alemu to Uganda and commended the great collaboration of WHO in the improvement of the health of the people of Uganda. He added that malaria, among others, remains the major killer disease in Uganda. This is in addition to the negative economic impact as a result of lost days of productivity. He hopes that WHO will continue supporting the country including working with local experts to find the best solution to control and ultimately eliminate malaria.

The Hon Minister reassured Dr Alemu that the government would provide the necessary support to facilitate the work of WHO.

Dr Alemu, a medical doctor, is a national of The Federal Republic of Ethiopia, and brings to Uganda a wealth of Public Health experience. He served as the Organization’s Representative in Sierra Leone before being assigned to Uganda. Prior to that Dr Alemu worked at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, Congo, Brazzaville, as Head of the Regional Integrated Diseases Surveillance Program.

In that capacity, he was instrumental in strengthening national integrated disease surveillance systems in many countries in the Region, including Uganda.

Before joining WHO in 1997, Dr Alemu worked for UNICEF in Ethiopia, as the Project Officer in charge of Oral Rehydration Therapy Promotion and later as Health Officer. He started off his Health career in Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health in 1983 where he held key positions, including Medical Director and General Practitioner at a rural hospital; Regional Health Manager; Medical officer at the National Immunization and Prophylaxis Division; Head of National Immunization and Prophylaxis Division; Senior Expert in Epidemiology; and Head of the Surveillance and Research Division.

Dr Alemu is fluent in English and Amharic and studied in Ethiopia and the United States of America. He is married with two children.

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For more information please contact :

Benjamin Sensasi, Health Promotion Advisor, WHO Country Office
Tel 256-41-334400
Email: sensasib [at] ug.afro.who.int (sensasib[at]ug[dot]afro[dot]who[dot]int)