Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi

Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi has been nominated as the next Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region during a Special Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa held in Geneva ahead of the World Health Assembly. Professor Janabi’s nomination will be submitted for appointment by the 157th session of the WHO Executive Board, which takes place from 28 to 29 May 2025 in Geneva. The newly appointed Regional Director will take office thereafter for a five-year term and be eligible for reappointment once.

Prof. Janabi currently serves as the Senior Health Advisor to President Samia Suluhu Hassan. He is also the Founding Executive Director of the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), where he is a board member. From 2014 to 2022, he led the institution’s development into the region’s leading centre for cardiac care. Under his leadership, JKCI drastically reduced the need for overseas referrals for cardiac patients by more than 95%. The institute expanded access to quality cardiovascular services to more than 3,200 primary healthcare facilities. He also played a critical role in training local and regional cardiology and cardiac surgery specialists, thus building long-term capacity in East Africa.

The professor is also a Board Member of Ocean Road Cancer Institute and the School of Veterinary Science at Sokoine University of Agriculture. Since April 2022, he has served as Board Chairman of Tanzania Health Promotion Support (THPS).  Additionally, he serves as Patron of the Tanzania Nutrition and Diabetes Association.

From 2005 to 2015, he served as Chief Health Advisor and Head Physician to former President Jakaya Kikwete. In this position, he helped shape national policies, including the Primary Healthcare Development Programme, which led to the construction of over 750 health facilities. During this period, he was involved in high-level health diplomacy and contributed to global responses to health crises, including the UN’s High-Level Panel during the West African Ebola epidemic.

He attained a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cardiology from Osaka University Hospital, Japan, in 2004; a PhD in Cardiology from the Graduate School of Medicine in Osaka in 2000; a Master of Tropical Health from Queensland Medical School in Australia in 1994, and a Doctor of Medicine from Kharkov Medical Institute in Ukraine in 1989.

In 2024, he graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Care of Older Persons (Geriatric Medicine) from Buckingham University, UK. He attended 10 editions of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) between 2000 and 2024; training in Good Practice (GCP) held at the National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania (2014); AIDS Vaccine Trial and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) on “Protecting the Rights, Safety and Well-being of Volunteers”, in Kenya in 2007; AIDS Vaccine Trials and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Workshop at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2006, and Advances Clinical Training in Cardiovascular Medicine in Osaka University in 2001.

He was named an Honorary Professor at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in 2003 and later an Adjunct Professor in Cardiology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), USA, in 2006. He served as the Executive Director of Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH)—Tanzania’s largest and most specialised referral hospital. He is also a Council Member at Muhimbili University Hospital.

Prof. Janabi is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and a member of several professional societies, including the Medical Council of Tanganyika, Tanzania Public Health Association, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Japanese Society of Vascular Medicine, and the American Heart Association. 

Between 2005 and 2015, he served as Chief Health Advisor and Head Physician to former President Jakaya Kikwete. He provided direct clinical care to the President and senior officials and contributed to high-level national health planning. Before this, from 1998 to 2002, he was the Senior Research Scientist for the HIV Vaccine Trial.

The professor has authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and edited  Your Health and Lifestyle. He is also fluent in English and Kiswahili, conversational in Russian and Japanese, and has basic knowledge of French and Portuguese.