- Safiu Kehinde
Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, has been listed amongst Times Magazine 100 Most Influential People in health sector.
Ali Pate announced the feat in a post on his official X handle on Thursday.
The Minister attributed the achievement to the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) which is part of the health sector reform under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Also making the list was the Director of Nutrition in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr.(Mrs) Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi.
“Backed by the visionary and bold leadership of H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT), GCFR, I am deeply honored to share that Nigeria’s ongoing health sector reform, under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (#NHSRII) has received global recognition, as I have been named to @TIME’s list of the 100 Most #Time100 Influential People in Global Health, released today.
“Proud to also have been named along with the Director of Nutrition in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare @Fmohnigeria, Dr. (Mrs) Ladidi K. Bako-Aiyegbusi.” Ali Pate posted.
According to the Times publication, Ali Pate’s recognition was borne out of his initiatives which had seen over 12 million girls vaccinated against human papilloma virus since October 2023.
The magazine also claimed he had upgraded more than 900 primary health care centers this past year, which have served 12 million people.
On her part, Bako-Aiyegbusi was recognised for her innovative program that took a common staple of many Nigerian kitchens—bouillon cubes—and fortifies them with micronutrients to nourish children.
The cubes, according to Times, are boosted with everything from iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid to zinc.
While Ali Pate and Bako-Aiyegbusi made it to the list through the leadership category, another Nigerian, Abasi Ene-Obong made the list under the pioneers category.
The founder and CEO of Syndicate Bio, a global genomics company, was recognised for his works on genetic testing in Africa.