Chukwu Okoronkwo, from Abia State, Nigeria, is a public health practitioner and a Deputy Director and Head of the Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization (ACSM) Unit of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), within the Department of Public Health in Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health Headquarters, Abuja. He coordinates all activities related to ACSM in the national malaria elimination programme. Prior to his deployment to NMEP, he was with the National Onchocerciasis Control Programme, now merged with the Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Programme in the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) division for over 20 years.
He has consulted for the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) and some Non-Governmental Development Organizations in independent monitoring and sustainability evaluation of over 20 Community-Directed Treatment with Ivermectin (CDTI) projects in Nigeria and other African countries. He participated in the development and review of the guidelines for sustainability evaluation and independent monitoring exercises as well as the format for projects’ technical reporting to the Technical Consultative Committee (TCC) of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control. He had facilitated training in CDTI in Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.
With the shift from vertical programme implementation to an integrated/coordinated approach Mr Okoronkwo has assisted in the development of sub-national NTD Master Plans for Nigeria and Ethiopia and was a key facilitator in the development and updating of Nigeria’s national NTD Master Plan. He has worked as a short term consultant for WHO/AFRO in various areas including the finalization of NTD Plans for English-speaking countries in the region, development of a financial resources requirements document, facilitation of a workshop on NTD Master Plans for English-speaking countries, NTDs mapping surveys in South Sudan, and facilitation of mapping surveys for preventive chemotherapy NTDs in the East and Southern African region.
Mr Okoronkwo has some publications to his credit and has done a peer review for PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. He is one of the two inaugural award recipients (2002) of Merck & Co, for “proven dedication to fighting onchocerciasis, … leadership, innovative thinking and strong work ethic”. He has an MPH from the University of Liverpool.