Professor Gottlieb Lobe Monekosso
MD (London) FRCP (Edinburgh)
Dsc. Honoris Causa University of Ife, Nigeria
Dsc. Honoris Causa University of Dar es Salaam
Former Minister of Public Health, Cameroon
Emeritus Director, WHO Africa Region
Founding Dean , University Centre for Health Sciences, Yaounde
Currently President, Global Health Dialogue Foundation
A citizen of the Republic of Cameroon, Professor Monekosso obtained his primary and secondary education in Lagos, Nigeria and studied medicine at Guy's Hospital Medical School of the University of London, England (1948-53). He then went to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and after house appointments at Guy's Hospital went on to the then new University College of Ibadan. Following various appointments in East and West Africa and the West Indies he returned home to Cameroon to head the newly created University Centre for Health Sciences in Yaounde which he led for a decade through to 1979.
From 1980-5 he was the World Health Organisation representative in Jamaica with responsibility for the subregion of the northern Commonwealth Carribean countries. He was then elected to the post of WHO Director for Africa, completing two five- year terms of office from 1985-95. During this period he was a member of the WHO executive management in Geneva and gave technical advice to 46 countries in Africa, the Organisation for African Unity and UN Economic Commission for Africa.
He returned home in 1995 when he founded Global Health Dialogue, a foundation devoted to the health and welfare of young people with a headquarters in Buea and a conference centre in Kribi which he still runs. However in 1997 he was appointed Cameroons Minister for Public Health, a post he held until 2000.
In a lifetime devoted to health Professor Monekosso has been active in clinical, laboratory and field research on endemic diseases especially tropical neuropathy; the adaptation of teaching programmes to community health needs; and the organization of healthcare delivery in university centres, district hospitals and at community level. He has taught a couple of generations of health professionals active in East, Western and Central Africa, has held several honorary positions around the world and has published a number of books and over 100 papers ni the scientific and health literature.
Retired but not tired, he continues to oversee the work of Global Health Dialogue and is currently engaged, among other projects, in advising the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the quality of medical teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa.
