Dr. Balla Moussa Diedhiou has more than 15 years experience in public health and expertise in the health systems and health policies of West African Francophone countries.
Balla has worked with Nutrition International since January 2015 as the Country Director for Senegal and the Sahel. In this role, he oversees program development, project and activity management and the dissemination and evaluation of micronutrient interventions. He also manages Nutrition International’s collaborations in country and promotes micronutrient programming in support of the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and their respective strategies to reduce child mortality, promote child development and improve women’s health.
He holds a PhD in Public Health and has a Masters degree in International Development, both of which are from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He also has a Doctorate in Medicine from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal.
Between 2009 and 2014, Balla was the Executive Director of the Senegalese Association for Family Welfare, which is a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the largest national NGO working in the field of reproductive health in Senegal. His role involved programmatic, administrative, financial and human resources management, as well as strategic planning, external relations and advocacy work.
From 2008 to 2009, Balla was the Principal National Expert (representing Senegal’s Ministry of Health) at the Basic Health Program SEN/025 in North Senegal. From 1999 to 2008, he was the Chief of Party, Regional and District Health Officer at the Ministry of Health and worked in the health and nutrition sectors.