About the WHO Nigeria Country Office
The WHO Nigeria Country Office works towards the attainment of the highest sustainable level of health by all people living in Nigeria through collaboration with the government and other partners in health development.
Structure
The main WHO Country Office is located in Abuja, the Fede
ral Capital Territory (FCT). In addition, WHO has 37 offices in each of the 36 states of the country and the FCT which provide technical support to States and Local Government Areas (LGAs). This network of WHO Offices has enabled the Organization to be timely responsive to health needs across the Federation which has also contributed to improvement of collaboration with partners and other stakeholders.
The WHO Representative provides leadership on the overall direction of WHO core operations in Nigeria while ensuring that the enabling functions requisite to supporting this are in place and fully functional.
WHO Country Representative and Head of Mission, Nigeria
Dr. Pavel Ursu brings over two decades of experience with the World Health Organization (WHO), having served in a range of leadership roles at both national and international levels. Prior to joining WHO, he worked in Emergency Health Services and at the Ministry of Health in his home country. He holds dual citizenship of Romania and Moldova.
Since May 2020, Dr. Ursu has served as Director of the Department of Delivery for Impact within the Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In this role, he led global efforts to accelerate country-level progress toward health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through data-driven, results-oriented strategies.
A physician by training, Dr. Ursu holds a Postgraduate Diploma and a Master of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, as well as a master’s degree in health services management. His academic credentials also include a Diploma in High Impact Leadership from the University of Cambridge, among other advanced qualifications.
From 2010 to 2015, he served as WHO Representative in Tajikistan, followed by his appointment as WHO Representative in Türkiye from 2015 to 2020. In both roles, he led complex country operations within the WHO European Region, demonstrating strong leadership in health diplomacy, strategic planning, results-based management, and resource mobilization. In 2017, he was honored with the WHO Director-General’s Award for outstanding leadership in guiding the WHO Country Office in Türkiye during the response to the unprecedented refugee crisis resulting from the Syrian civil war.
Between 2001 and 2010, Dr. Ursu held several key positions within WHO. He began as Project Manager for the Making Pregnancy Safer initiative in the WHO Country Office in Moldova and, from 2003, served as Head of the Country Office. He also served as Acting WHO Representative in Azerbaijan in 2005 and in Kazakhstan in 2007.
Dr. Ursu is deeply committed to driving change through coordinated, multi-stakeholder interventions. His work prioritizes vulnerable populations and communities, leveraging data-driven, impact-oriented approaches to address health inequities and strengthen systems and capacities. His leadership continues to contribute to accelerated progress toward the SDGs and improved health outcomes worldwide.