Nyan Credits Africa CDC Former NPHIL Boss Disputes OIC’s Claim

MONROVIA – A dispute over who built a public health emergency center has become a proxy war over NPHIL’s leadership. Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan says Africa CDC, with the African Development Bank, funded a newly constructed operations center during his tenure. He accuses the institute’s Officer-in-Charge and Board of crediting the US-CDC with a mere refurbishment. The stakes exceed credit. Nyan says he must account for the donation, and he frames it as Africa solving its own problems. He also alleges that Health Minister Louise Kpoto withheld US-CDC agreement funds. Those claims await answers from the Board and the ministry. His termination, which the Supreme Court ruled unlawful, hangs over every claim, as THE ANALYST reports.

Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan, whose termination as Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) the Supreme Court ruled unlawful, has accused the institute’s current Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and Board of misinforming the public about the origin of NPHIL’s new Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC).

In a statement, Nyan insisted that the facility was newly constructed by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), not refurbished by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) as the OIC recently stated.

Nyan referred to a recent press briefing at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), at which the OIC described the PHEOC as a “refurbished” facility.

“We want to acknowledge our partners especially US-CDC for furbishing our National PHEOC and also providing computers and printers,” the OIC was quoted as saying.

Nyan described the statement as one that “circumvents the truth and distorts the facts,” arguing that it discredits the institutions and the NPHIL leadership team that made the new PHEOC a reality in the nine years since the institute was established.

“First, the New PHEOC is a NEWLY CONSTRUCTED facility within the NPHIL, NOT a ‘refurbished’ one,” he stated, adding that it was built by Africa CDC and not the US-CDC, as he said the OIC and Board claimed in their July 2026 MICAT briefings.

Africa CDC, AfDB Funding

To support his claim, Nyan cited a communication from Africa CDC dated November 5, 2024, which stated that Africa CDC, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), was supporting Liberia in establishing a PHEOC and had “completed the procurement of ICT equipment valued at USD 275,095.89.”

He referred readers to the letter, which he said was attached to his statement.

According to Nyan, NPHIL was selected along with several other national public health institutes for the grant of about US$275,095.89 (L$50.17 million) because of his team’s record in outbreak response and biomedical research during the Mpox, Lassa and measles outbreaks.

He said Africa CDC selected NPHIL around November 2024 under an Africa CDC–AfDB public health program after his leadership made the case based on its record in controlling Mpox, disease surveillance, strengthening laboratories, improving One Health and biomedical research, and NPHIL’s recognition by Africa CDC as a Regional Center of Excellence.

Nyan disclosed that materials for the PHEOC were shipped by Africa CDC and received by NPHIL around January 2025, and that installation commenced on July 14, 2025, and was completed around September 2025 by a locally contracted construction firm in adherence to Liberia’s public procurement laws.

He put Africa CDC’s total spending on the project at about US$300,000, covering computers for surveillance officers, wide-screen television sets for the PHEOC and the main conference room that hosts Incident Management System meetings, audio-visual sets and other essential equipment.

“It is important that we provide this salient clarification and correction, because this issue borders on credibility, integrity, and transparency as the Africa CDC representative and I are under obligation to account for such continental goodwill donation now and in the future,” Nyan stated.

He added that as African institutions fight for independence from “vestiges of socio-economic colonialism and scientific deprivation,” due credit must be given to Africa CDC and the AfDB.

US-CDC Role Acknowledged

Nyan credited the US-CDC with facilitating the construction of NPHIL’s current container-type building around 2017 through a US philanthropist after the 2014 Ebola outbreak, a building he said has outlived its usefulness and lifespan.

He further noted that the US-CDC has also been instrumental in training field epidemiologists, with much of US assistance to NPHIL coming through a Cooperative Agreement (CoAg) with funds channeled through the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Allegations Against Health Minister

Nyan alleged that for most of 2024 through 2025, Minister of Health Louise Kpoto withheld CoAg-related funds, boycotted scheduled meetings with the US-CDC country representative and his leadership team, and reneged on signing documents for the release of the funds to NPHIL.

He claimed that the minister later “caved in after mounting pressure” from his leadership and the US-CDC, saying documented evidence is available, and declared that his leadership had vowed not to allow US taxpayers’ money to be diverted into personal pockets under his watch.

Nyan also described the OIC and Board’s account as a continuation of what he called a “false and deceptive 11-point resolution” that misled President Joseph Nyuma Boakai into issuing a letter terminating him.

He noted that on February 16, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled the termination unlawful, saying it lacked due process and violated the rule of law, human rights and the Constitution.

“The discredited NPHIL Board and OIC can feed the Liberian President and his government with lies and gossip at breakfast, deception at lunch, and dishonesty at dinner; but my team will not allow them for a nanosecond to do the same to the public and distort our record of progress and accomplishments,” Nyan charged.

He concluded that the construction of the PHEOC by Africa CDC and the AfDB is “another significant instance of Africa solving its own problems and not looking Westward” and should be applauded rather than discredited.

The statement made available to THE ANALYST did not include responses from the NPHIL OIC, the Board or the Ministry of Health. The letters and photographs Nyan referenced were not included in the copy received.