Heading
Dr Kokou Alinon
Regional Director, The Western Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (WA RCC)
Associate Professor, The University of Lomé
Dr. Kokou ALINON serves as the Africa CDC, Regional Director for the Western Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (WA RCC) based in Abuja (Nigeria). He oversees the coordination and the implementation of Africa CDC’s activities, programs and engagement with stakeholders in the 15 countries of West Africa; provides strategic leadership, diplomacy, and advocacy to advance regional health priorities and position Africa CDC as a trusted partner and authority in health; advises governments and partners on health policy, Health in All Policies, and whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches; Coordinates technical cooperation aligned with country priorities, Africa CDC norms and standards; Convenes governments, partners, civil society, communities, and other stakeholders to build consensus on complex health issues, including emergencies and humanitarian crises in West Africa .
He is an accomplished healthcare and public health professional with over 21 years of experience in healthcare and more than 16 years in public health. As a H. Hubert Humphrey Fellow and alumnus of the US CDC’s Public Health Emergency Management program, he has a strong academic foundation and extensive expertise in public health policy and management, disease surveillance, monitoring and evaluation.
His expertise spans palliatives care, public health surveillance planning and implementation (EBS, IBS, IDSR) and public health emergency preparedness and response.
Before joining the WA RCC in Abuja, Dr. Kokou served as the Principal Technical Officer of the Surveillance and Disease Intelligence Division at Africa CDC’s Head Quater in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). He played a pivotal role in providing technical support and guidance for five critical units within the division: Epidemic Intelligence, Health Informatics, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, One Health, and Public Health Surveillance. His work was integral to strengthening health-related surveillance systems, thereby enhancing public health decision-making and actions across African Union Member States.
Prior to joining Africa CDC, Dr. Kokou ALINON played key roles in Togo’s Ministry of Health as a civil servant, serving as the Palliative Care National Program Coordinator and leading the Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance Division for over four years.
As a US CDC’s Public Health Emergency Management fellow, Dr Kokou contributed to the establishment of the National Emergency Operation Center (EOC), and to the joint external evaluations on international health regulation and global health security agenda in Togo.
Dr. Kokou ALINON is also an Associate Professor from the University of Lomé since 2015, an author and co-author of many national and international articles and books.