As women in global health from Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia, I joined Professor Flavia Senkubugeand and Dr. Choolwe Nkwemu Jacobs, to address the importance of gender-transformative leadership to bring much needed diversity in perspective and professional expertise as the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention faces a crucial milestone in selecting its next director-general.

Women have a critical role as experts in the health systems they largely deliver, and provide valuable insight to gender responsive policies which achieve better health outcomes and tackle gender inequality in the health care sector, which undermines global health efforts.

Therefore, together, as supporters of the Women in Global Health movement with 46 chapters worldwide, and the largest presence in Africa, we are calling on the African Union, Africa CDC, and its member states to consider women equally in all senior decision-making levels, as the African region has no shortage of talented women capable of taking on these important roles, including that of director-general.

Read our full thoughts here.