Monrovia — President Joseph Boakai Wednesday dismissed Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan from his post as Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) following a formal recommendation from the Board of Directors of the institution.
The President's decision is based on a detailed resolution submitted by the Board, which cited what it described as gross inefficiency, undesirable actions against the public interest, and violations of the NPHIL Act of 2016. The Board's decision, made during an Ad-Hoc meeting on September 10, 2025, was supported by nine of the ten Board members, with one member abstaining.
The Board emphasized that its decisions were guided by the need to restore efficiency, accountability, and good governance within the NPHIL.
According to the resolution, Dr. Nyan's tenure as head of the country's lead public health institution was marked by a litany of administrative and managerial failures. The Board accused the Director General of persistently bypassing statutory oversight, operating without transparency, and making unilateral decisions that undermined the governance structure of the Institute.
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Specifically, the Board stated that Dr. Nyan repeatedly failed to involve the Board in critical decision-making processes concerning NPHIL's operations. There was an ongoing lack of coordination and collaboration between NPHIL and the Ministry of Health.
The Board also cited non-adherence to its statutory role as the governing authority of the Institute and noted that Dr. Nyan made numerous foreign trips without informing either the Board or any acting Director General during his absence.
The resolution further indicated that Dr. Nyan sent official communications to both the President of Liberia and the National Legislature without the knowledge or input of the Board. Partners also raised concerns about his leadership and conduct. The Board noted that the institutional budget was submitted without their approval and institutional affairs were often discussed in the media without their authorization. These issues, the Board said, represent serious governance failures.
In February 2025, the Board had previously suspended Dr. Nyan and requested a written apology due to a separate set of concerns involving media engagements that were deemed inappropriate. However, the same behaviors persisted throughout his suspension and afterward, leading the Board to call for his removal, according to the Board.
In the official resolution, the Board stated that "the Director General is hereby recommended for removal effective immediately for violating Section 4.4 sub c (i), 'found to be grossly inefficient', and (vi), 'engages in acts that are undesirable to public interest and undermine principles of good governance', of the NPHIL Act 2016." The Board's resolution also called for Dr. Sia Wata Camanor, the Co-Chair of the Board, to serve as Interim Director General in order to stabilize the institution and lead operations in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, other government agencies, and international partners until a new Director General is recruited and appointed by the President.
Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan is a well-known Liberian medical doctor, biomedical research scientist, social activist, and inventor. He holds a medical degree from the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, affiliated with the Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany.
He has worked at the US National Institutes of Health and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, specializing in infectious diseases and public health diagnostics. During the 2014 Ebola epidemic, Dr. Nyan testified before the United States Congress, offering a public health roadmap and advocating for the establishment of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and the strengthening of national public health systems across the continent.
He is best known for inventing a US-patented diagnostic device known as the "Nyan-Test", a rapid multiplex diagnostic tool capable of detecting and identifying multiple pathogens such as Malaria, HIV, COVID-19, Ebola, and Hepatitis in under an hour. His innovation earned him the 2017 African Innovation Special Prize for Social Impact.
Notable achievements
Dr. Nyan - a renowned biomedical scientist, inventor, and public health expert - was appointed in August 2024 upon the recommendation of NPHIL's Board of Directors. His appointment was widely praised by the Liberian public for his proven expertise and achievements in medical science.
Under his leadership, NPHIL received commendations for its robust response to the Mpox outbreak and its renewed focus on disease surveillance and laboratory capacity.
As head of NPHIL, Dr. Nyan oversaw the detection and genetic characterization of a new Monkeypox virus strain in Liberia, known as Mpox Clade IIa. This strain, identified at the National Reference Laboratory in Charlesville in 2024, was the first such detection in Liberia in over 50 years and was published in the scientific journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Nyan also holds memberships in the International Society for Infectious Diseases, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Regarding the Deputy Director General for Administration, the Board recommended, Dr. Adams K. Lincoln's redeployment following persistent unauthorized sharing of sensitive institutional communications with external partners, despite being cleared by the Liberia National Police of earlier allegations of vehicle theft. The resolution Seven approvals, two abstentions, and one recusal.
In a formal letter to the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs (Designate), Hon. Samuel A. Stevquoah, dated September 18, 2025, the Board provided background information on its decision and clarified its previous actions.
The letter outlined a series of steps taken by the Board following investigations into other management-related issues, including allegations of vehicle theft involving the Deputy Director General for Administration (DDGA). A preliminary investigation was conducted by a committee composed of statutory and non-statutory Board members, and a report was generated on February 3, 2025. The investigation concluded with a recommendation for the indefinite suspension of the DDGA while the Liberia National Police and the General Services Agency (GSA) carried out further inquiries.
The DDGA was eventually cleared of the theft allegation by the Liberia National Police due to a lack of documentary evidence. However, the Board noted that while that specific case was resolved, the DDGA continued to share large volumes of unauthorized and sensitive institutional communications with both internal and external parties through platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and radio talk shows.
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The Board viewed this as a breach of institutional confidentiality and a violation of governance procedures. As a result, during the September 10 Board meeting, members deliberated on whether to remove the DDGA for acts deemed undesirable to public interest under Section 4.4 sub c (vi) of the NPHIL Act.
Although the motion to remove the DDGA failed to secure a two-thirds majority, the Board recommended his redeployment to another government institution, pending the President's decision. However, the President chose to dismiss him.
As of press time, the two dismissed officials had not yet issued a formal response to the Board's recommendations or the President's decision.
With the temporary appointment of Dr. Sia Wata Camanor as Interim Director General, the NPHIL Board has committed to working closely with the Ministry of Health, other governmental agencies, and international partners to maintain operational continuity. The Board will also initiate the recruitment process for a new Director General to be nominated to the President for appointment.
As Liberia continues to rebuild and strengthen its health sector in the aftermath of major public health crises including Ebola, COVID-19, and the recent Mpox outbreak, all attention now turns to how NPHIL will recover from its leadership transition and whether institutional reforms will be implemented to prevent recurrence of the administrative lapses highlighted in the Board's report.
