Gom Mirian
PROFILE: Muhammad Ali Pate:
Muhammad Ali Pate has been recently appointed as the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Development in Nigeria. This appointment has generated a lot of interest among the people of Nigeria, particularly those who are interested in the healthcare and social sectors. This report, Africa Health Report, AHR, aims to provide an overview of Ali Pate’s background, his previous work experience, his qualifications, his achievements, and what he’s expected to achieve in his new role.
Mr. Ali Pate, born on 6 September 1968, is a Nigerian physician and politician, who hails from Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State in north-east Nigeria and was raised in that part of the country.
The 55-year-old attended the popular Barewa College, Zaria, Kaduna State in north-west Nigeria. In the same city of Zaria, Mr. Pate enrolled at the medical college of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), where he studied medicine.
Muhammad Pate upon graduation from ABU, Mr. Pate worked at the institution’s teaching hospital from 1990 to 1991, before moving to The Gambia at the British Medical Research Council Laboratories, where he also worked with rural hospitals for a few years.
In 1998, Mr. Pate moved to the United States of America for a residency training programme in Internal Medicine and a fellowship training which qualified him as a consultant in infectious diseases, at the University of Rochester, New York.
He was certified by the American Board as a medical doctor in both internal medicine and infectious diseases, with an MBA (health sector concentration) from Duke University, USA. He also bagged a master’s certificate in Health System Management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in the United Kingdom (UK).
On the global scene, Mr. Pate was 2000 appointed by the World Bank as a young professional to work on contemporary issues of health, including HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria across many regions including Africa and East Asia.
Eight years after joining the World Bank, former President Umar Yar ’Adua appointed Mr. Pate to head Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) shortly after it was merged with the country’s National Programme on Immunisation.
Mr. Pate arrived on the scene at a time Nigeria was facing vaccine hesitancy, which had caused a major clog in the country’s wheel of polio eradication initiatives. He quickly engaged traditional rulers, especially in northern Nigeria, for improvement in the use of polio vaccines and other primary healthcare services. This strategy helped in no small measure in laying the foundation for the eventual elimination of the polio epidemic in Nigeria.
Mr. Pate also served on various national and international panels, which include the first WHO health systems research forum in Montreux, Switzerland in 2009; Mckinsey’s Geneva Health Forum 2009, also in Switzerland, and Ernst Strongman Forum, 2010, in Frankfurt, Germany.
As Nigeria’s former Minister of State for Health, Mr. Pate established a global coalition to support health system improvements and also implemented innovative programmes to tackle priorities such as the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and also led a flagship initiative to revive routine vaccinations and primary healthcare, chaired a presidential task force to eradicate polio, and introduced new vaccines into the country.
Mr. Pate in his desire to take up the position of Professor at Duke University’s Global Health Institute, in the US, tendered his resignation letter as a minister in July 2013.
At Duke University’s Global Health Institute, Mr. Pate served as a visiting professor and taught its postgraduate students Comparative Health Systems.
In 2015, he began a term of three years as Chief Executive Officer of Big Win Philanthropy, an independent foundation investing in children and young people in developing countries, helping them improve their lives and maximise opportunities for long-term economic growth in their particular regions.
Earlier in 2014, he also founded the Chigari Foundation, a non-governmental organisation “whose goal is to provide world-class leadership in engaging communities to implement actions that will positively transform lives and the society.”
In 2019, Mr. Pate was appointed as global director for health, nutrition and population (HNP) of the World Bank, and director of the global financing facility for women, children and adolescents (GFF).
Between 2019 and 2021, Mr. Pate led the Bank’s $18 billion COVID-19 global health response and represented the bank on various boards, including those of Gavi, the Global Fund, CEPI, and UNAIDS.
Political career:
Mr. Pate, ventured into politics and had his sights set on the governor’s office in Bauchi State since 2015. He has switched from one political party to the other as a consequence, voting in the state’s primary elections.
In the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in the state in 2015, Mr. Pate received 86 votes, placing third behind Mohammed Jatau, who received 368 votes, and Babayo Gamawa, who received 116.
Honours:
In addition to receiving the esteemed Harvard Health Leader Award in 2012, Mr. Pate has been named Julio Frenk’s Professor of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population by the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
On October 11, 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari also awarded Mr. Pate the national honor of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). Mr. Pate is married with six children.
Expectations as Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Development:
As the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Development, Ali Pate is expected to work with other stakeholders in the health and social sectors to improve the health and well-being of Nigerians. Some of his key responsibilities include coordinating the activities of the Federal Ministry of Health and other government agencies involved in the health and social sectors, developing policies, programs, and strategies for the improvement of healthcare delivery, and mobilizing resources to support the health and social sectors.
Ali Pate is a seasoned public administrator with a wealth of experience in the healthcare and social sectors. His appointment as the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Development is expected to enhance the delivery of healthcare services and improve the well-being of Nigerians. His achievements in the past demonstrate his ability to deliver results and meet expectations. We wish him all the best in his new role.
