Draft:Dacosta Aboagye

Dr. Dacosta Aboagye is a Ghanaian healthcare professional and administrator who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

Early life and education
Dr. Aboagye was born in Ghana and obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Cape Coast in 2006. He further obtained a Higher National Certificate in Pharmacy Technology from the Kumasi Technical University in 2002. He then proceeded to the United Kingdom, where he obtained a Master's degree in Public Health and Health Promotion from Leeds Beckett University in 2010. He later obtained his PhD in National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana (Research) from the same university in 2016.

Career
Dr. Aboagye has had a career in healthcare administration and public health. He served as the Cohort Leader for Public Health and Health Promotion programme at the University of West London, United Kingdom, and was an external examiner on National Health Insurance Financing, Public Health, and Health Promotion at both the University of Salford and London Metropolitan University.

He also chaired the Public Health Risk Communication and Community Engagement for Disease Control within the West Africa Health Organization. Prior to his appointment as CEO of NHIA, he was the formal director of the Health Promotion Division of the Ghana Health Service.

In 2020, he was part of the Presidential Task Force for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana, where he led the country's risk communication efforts until 2023.

Appointment as CEO of NHIA
The President's Secretary, Nana Bediatuo Asante, signed this letter on February 27, 2024, to announce Dr. Aboagye as the new CEO of NHIA in the recently announced reshuffle of ministers by the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo. The decision arrived at under Section 14(1) of the National Health Insurance Act 852, 2012 after the necessary constitutional advice by the authority's board in consultation with Public service commission.

Contributions, awards and qualifications
Dr. Dacosta Aboagye has done extensive work in research within public health, particularly in health insurance, health promotion and public health at large. He presents his findings both locally and internationally and has received many acwdrds a well as citations for his input into healthcare administration, community medicine, and public health, among others.

Awards

 * MTN Young Professionals Role Model in Health (Gold Category; 2020)
 * Golden Citizen Award (2021)
 * Overall National Best Health Leader of the Year (2023)
 * Order of the Volta – Companion Category (2023) for his contributions and sacrifices during the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana

Qualifications

 * PhD in Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Leeds Beckett University (2016)
 * MSc Public Health and Health Promotion, Leeds Beckett University (2010)
 * BSc Chemistry, University of Cape Coast (2006)
 * HND Pharmacy Technology, Kumasi Technical University (2002)

Legacy
Dr. Dacosta Aboagye is a leader who has always sought to improve public health care in Ghana. His work at the NHIA as well as within academia and the Ghana Health Service ,,as left an indelible mark on millions of lives in this country.