Dr. Kelechi Ohiri has extensive experience in the public and private healthcare sectors, spanning clinical medicine, health policy, finance, management consultancy, and advisory roles. Before his appointment as Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA, he served as the Chief Strategy Policy and Innovation Officer for GAVI – the Vaccine Alliance, having previously held the position of Managing Director for Policy, Programme Policy, and Delivery Support. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of HSDF, a Healthcare Advisory Firm, and as a Visiting Scientist at Harvard University. Additionally, he co-founded the Healthcare Leadership Academy (www.hlaafrica.org) and was a partner at Flint Atlantic – a Social Impact investment and advisory firm.

His public sector career includes previous roles as the Senior Adviser to two Ministers of Health and the Minister of Finance in Nigeria. In these capacities, he led the delivery of several large-scale transformation programmes, such as the Saving One Million Lives Initiative aimed at reducing maternal and child deaths, and the conceptualization and design of
the National Social Safety Net Programme to alleviate intergenerational poverty. 

Before his public sector engagements, he was an Engagement Manager at the London Office of McKinsey and Company, where he served clients across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He also worked with the World Bank Group in Washington DC through the Young Professionals’ Programme, focusing on Social Protection and strengthening Health Systems in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. 

Dr. Kelechi Ohiri has authored policy papers, peer-reviewed publications, and co-authored books on health systems. He has contributed to expert advisory committees for the Institute of Medicine, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Bank, the Global Fund, and the World Health Organization. Additionally, he served on the Board of the World Health Organization’s Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and the Programme and Policy Committee of the GAVI Alliance Board. 

He earned a medical degree from the University of Lagos, as well as a Master of Public Health degree and a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management, both from Harvard University. He is a Desmond Tutu Fellow of the African Leadership Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.