Current Position
International Consultant, Expert, and Resource Person for WAHO, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank
Background
Born in Savalou, Benin, on October 25, 1957, Dr. Laurent Aholofon Assogba, after receiving his State Doctorate in Medicine from the Faculty of Health Sciences in Benin, first served as Chief Physician of the Medical Department at the Atacora/Donga Provincial Hospital Center before being appointed Chief Physician of the Technical Intervention Service of the same province and then of the Borgou/Alibori province, with a stint as Departmental Director of Health of the same region. As Chief Physician of the Borgou/Alibori Technical Intervention Service, Dr. Assogba also coordinated the National Onchocerciasis Control Program (OCP) in Benin for six years. After twelve years of service to the people of Northern Benin and always drawn to improving the health of the population, Dr. Laurent Aholofon Assogba left to complete his training in Epidemiology in Bamako before flying two years later to complete his Master's degree in Public Health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMT) in Antwerp, Belgium, thanks to the support of the Swiss Cooperation in Benin. He is married to one wife and the father of three children.
Current Roles
He currently serves as an International Consultant, Expert, and Resource Person for the West African Health Organization, UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank, to name a few.
Achievements
Dr. Laurent Aholofon Assogba has received several distinctions and was awarded the title of Knight of the National Order of Benin.
Previous Roles
Upon returning to his country, he was recruited as a Medical Advisor within the Swiss Cooperation for the Zou and Collines departments for two years, before moving to the national level at the Ministry of Health, where he successively held the following positions: Head of the Epidemiology and Health Surveillance Department for Borders, Ports, and Airports; National Director of Health Protection; and National Director of Public Health for six and a half years before being appointed Technical Advisor for Health Promotion and Disaster Management to the Minister of Health of Benin. This entire journey prompted President Thomas Boni Yayi, then President of the Republic of Benin, to nominate him for the position of Deputy Director General of the West African Health Organization (WAHO), a position he held from 2014 to 2018.
