Mr Osama Makkawikhogali
Osama Makkawi Khogali joined the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office in Ghana last Friday as the new UNICEF Representative.
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, granted him accreditation.
Mr. Khogali was the formal Tajikistan representative, and he joined the UNICEF office in Ghana in June 2023, as the new Country Programme of Cooperation between UNICEF and the Government of Ghana which role will come to an end in 2027.
“I am honoured to serve as the UNICEF Representative to Ghana. As the first country in the world to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Ghana has long been a pacesetter in the region when it comes to championing child rights,” he stated.
He is optimistic that, as the government embarks on a new joint Programme of Cooperation, UNICEF and the government will be able to continue their efforts to ensure that every child and adolescent, particularly the most disadvantaged and excluded, is provided with equitable and inclusive opportunities to reach their full potential.
Prior to becoming the UNICEF Representative to Ghana, Osama Makkawi Khogali served as the UNICEF Representative to Tajikistan from 2020 to 2023, Montenegro from 2017 to 2020, and Oman from 2013 to 2017.
He was also the UNICEF Deputy Representative to Iraq from 2019 to 2013, and the Regional Emergency Specialist for the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office from 2006 to 2009.
He was also the UNICEF Pakistan Office’s Principal Emergency Coordinator, among other things.
Mr. Khogali, who is originally from Sudan, began his career with UNICEF in Sudan from 1992 to 1998, and again served between 1998 and 2001 as Development and Aid Advisor for the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Sudan.
By Nafisatu Abdul Razak