Josiah
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed Dr. Dacosta Aboagye, the Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service, as the next Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
The appointment, in line with Section 14 (1) of the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852), was communicated to the President through a letter from the Secretary. The letter notes that Dr. Aboagye will succeed Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, the Minister-designate for health, subject to the constitutionally required advice of the governing board of the Authority in consultation with the Public Services Commission.
Dr. Aboagye, a 45-year-old national health insurance expert, holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (2007) from the University of Cape Coast, a Master’s degree in Public Health and Health Promotion (2010) from Leeds Beckett University, and a PhD in National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana (Research) (2016) from Glasgow University. His educational qualifications also include a higher national degree in pharmacy technology from Kumasi Technical University, earned in 2002.
With a wealth of experience in national health insurance finance, public health, and health promotion, Dr. Aboagye currently serves as the Director of the Health Promotion Division at the Ghana Health Service. He played a crucial role in managing the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana as part of the presidential taskforce from 2020 to 2023, overseeing the country’s risk communication initiatives.
Dr. Aboagye has contributed significantly to academia, serving as a cohort leader for the University of West London’s Public Health and Health Promotion program and as an external examiner for the University of Salford’s Public Health and Health Promotion program, as well as the University of Salford’s National Health Insurance Financing program.
He chairs the West Africa Health Organization’s Public Health Risk Communication and Community Engagement for Disease Control within the ECOWAS community, fostering experience sharing, advocacy, and learning to strengthen health systems across the 15 ECOWAS member states. Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Africa CDC Public Health Risk Communication and Community Engagements Community of Practice, promoting best practices, knowledge sharing, and ongoing education across 55 member states in Africa.
Dr. Aboagye has published approximately eleven influential research publications in health insurance, public health, and health promotion. His contributions to the field have been recognized with various honors and distinctions, including the Golden Citizen Award (2021), MTN Young Professionals Role Model in Health (Gold Category, 2020), and National Best Health Leader of the Year (2023). In 2023, he received the Order of the Volta – Companion Category, the highest honor from the Republic of Ghana, in acknowledgment of his sacrifices and achievements during Ghana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
