The ACHIEVE Africa governance structure comprises the Stakeholder Council, the Scientific Advisory Committee, and the Program Leadership Team. Members of these bodies are nominated, reviewed, and endorsed through an independent Selection Committee.
There is an active Call for Nominations seeking candidates for each of these governance bodies.
Ilesh Jani is a senior scientist at Mozambique’s National Institute of Health (INS). He qualified as a medical doctor at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique and received a Ph.D. from the University of London in the United Kingdom.
In Mozambique, Dr. Jani has lead efforts in the areas of research, public health and education with the objectives of strengthening the health system, promoting well-being and controlling disease. He served as the Director-General of the National Institute of Health for 13 years and as the Vice- Minister of Health for two years, gaining unique insights into evidence generation and policy making.
His research interests include diagnostics and vaccines for infectious diseases, and the incorporation of these health technologies in health systems. Dr. Jani has authored over 130 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
At the global level, Dr. Jani has contributed to several initiatives, including at the board of directors of the African Society of Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), the executive board of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) and the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization. Currently, he is the chair of the steering committee of the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC).
Ambassador John N. Nkengasong is a distinguished virologist and global health leader with over 30 years of experience in public health. Currently, he is Executive Director for Higher Education at the Mastercard Foundation, overseeing the higher education and health workforce development portfolios. Previously he was the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and the Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), leading U.S. efforts to strengthen global health security and manage infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
He was the founding Director of the Africa CDC, where he established it as a key autonomous health agency and coordinated Africa’s COVID-19 response, securing vaccines for the continent. He held critical roles at the U.S. CDC and contributed extensively to global health diplomacy.
He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Yaoundé, an M.Sc. from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, and a Ph.D. from the University of Brussels, and leadership training certification from Harvard’s Kennedy School. Recognized among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021, Ambassador Nkengasong has received numerous awards, including the Virchow Prize for Global Health. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Life.
Linda Klavinskis is a distinguished immunologist and vaccinologist whose research has made significant contributions to advancing our understanding of immune responses and vaccine development. As Professor of Viral Immunology at King’s College London, she has led influential work elucidating the complexities of T cell biology and driving the development of innovative vaccination strategies against infectious diseases and cancer.
Her research explores how dendritic cells – the immune system’s sentinels – can be used to generate effective and long-lasting immune responses. This research has profound implications for designing next-generation vaccines, including those targeting challenging pathogens such as HIV.
Professor Klavinskis served as President of the International Society for Vaccines and is currently President Emeritus, reflecting her role as a global leader in the field and her commitment in advancing vaccine science internationally. Throughout her career, she has mentored many scientists and contributed to building research capacity across multiple continents.
Her connection to ACHIEVE Africa stems from a deep commitment to ensuring that scientific advances benefit communities most in need. She believes that sustainable health improvements in Africa require not only technological innovation but also investment in local expertise and infrastructure. Her work exemplifies the principle that world-class science and global equity must go hand in hand.
Dr. Magda Robalo is a senior global health leader, medical doctor, and experienced diplomat with more than three decades of leadership across public health, infectious diseases, ethics, governance, and gender equality. She has held high-level national and international roles, combining technical excellence with political and diplomatic leadership in complex, resource-constrained settings.
She is President and Co-founder of the Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD) and currently serves as Co-chair of the UHC2030 Steering Committee, Global Ambassador for the G20 and G7 Health and Development Partnership and a member of the Accra Reset High Level Panel, advancing universal health coverage, equity, health sovereignty and health security at global level.
Previously, Dr. Magda Robalo served as Minister of Public Health and High Commissioner for COVID-19 in Guinea-Bissau, where she led transformative health sector reforms and the national COVID-19 pandemic response, mobilising substantial resources and coordinating whole-of-government and partner action despite severe system constraints.
Her international career spans over twenty years with the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, including roles as Director of the Communicable Diseases Cluster, WHO Representative, and Malaria Regional Advisor. In these positions, she led large multidisciplinary teams, managed major financial portfolios, shaped regional strategies, and strengthened epidemic preparedness, disease control, and maternal and child health programmes across the African Region.
She has also played a key role in global health governance as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Ethics and Governance Committee of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and as Alternate Board Member for West and Central Africa, championing integrity, accountability, and inclusive leadership.
Dr. Magda Robalo holds an MBChB, a postgraduate qualification in Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and a Master of Science in Epidemiology. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Africa Academy for Public Health, a Commissioner of the Lancet Global Health Commission on People-Centered Care for UHC, and recipient of the 2023 Women in Global Health Award.
Professor Maha El-Rabbat is a Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, and former Minister of Health and Population of Egypt. She is an internationally recognized public health expert with over 40 years of experience in health systems strengthening, policy development, and strategic leadership at national, regional, and global levels.
Professor El-Rabbat has held multiple senior political, academic, and technical leadership positions. She currently serves as a member of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group, and the African Union Commission on Africa’s COVID-19 Response Strategy, where her work now focuses on advancing pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR). She was also appointed as Special Envoy on COVID-19 for the Eastern Mediterranean Region by the Director-General of the World Health Organization.
She has contributed extensively to shaping public health policy and systems reform through her roles on numerous global, regional, and national advisory boards and expert committees. Her work spans health governance, epidemic preparedness, universal health coverage, and population health strategies, with a strong focus on resilience, equity, and system performance.
Throughout her career, Professor El-Rabbat has collaborated closely with governments, multilateral organizations, and regional institutions to design and implement evidence-based public health interventions. Her work is driven by a commitment to strengthening health systems governance and advancing human development, particularly in middle- and low-income countries, fragile settings, and underserved populations, through policy innovation, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and strategic partnerships.
Margaret McCluskey's background includes nineteen years as the Senior Advisor for HIV Vaccine Research, United States Agency for International Development (technical oversight of $30M/annual projects); Director of Nursing and Clinical Operations/Vaccine Research Center Clinic/NIAID/National Institutes of Health; Project Director of VaxGen 004 Trial/The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health/Center for Immunization Research; Health Team Leader/Post-war Kosovo/International Rescue Committee; Primary Health Care Nurse in Post-Genocide Rwanda/American Refugee Committee; Nursing Coordinator/The Women and Children's HIV Program at Cook County Hospital; Oncology Nurse Specialist, Hospice-Home Care Nurse, ICU nurse at Northwestern Memorial, and nurse-in-residence at Misericordia, home to children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities in Chicago. McCluskey has held national certifications in Oncology Nursing, Health Education, and Clinical Research Coordination.
Margaret was among the first tranche of DOGE layoffs in early 2025. Shortly thereafter, she became the Senior Strategic Advisor to The Aurum Institute, based in South Africa. Margaret’s consultancy focuses on developing Aurum's 501(c)(3) US-based branch, registered in Washington, DC. Aurum is one of South Africa’s leading healthcare innovators and providers. Aurum has established an excellent reputation by demonstrating innovative global health practices and policies and implementing impactful programs that make a meaningful difference. Margaret serves on the Institute's International Projects Unit to support scientific research and education, health systems, global health development, strengthening, and implementation in the field of poverty-related communicable and non-communicable diseases, with a particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis for the benefit of the poor, distressed, underprivileged, and vulnerable communities and societies around the world.
Dr. Senator Pagwesese David Parirenyatwa is a medical doctor and public health leader with extensive experience in healthcare, governance, and international health diplomacy. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BS), is a Specialist Family Physician (FCPCP), and earned a BSc in Applied Chemistry. He is a Fellow of the College of Primary Care Physicians of Zimbabwe and previously served as its President.
Dr. Parirenyatwa served as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health for 15 years and is currently a Senator in the Parliament of Zimbabwe. He also serves as Secretary for Health, Child Welfare and the Elderly in the ZANU PF Politburo.
His international leadership roles include serving as President of the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization and Chair of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board in 2015. He has also chaired the WHO Regional Committee for Africa (AFRO) Ministers of Health and the SADC Ministers of Health.
In addition, Dr. Parirenyatwa is the current President of the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) and Executive Director of CHESTMEDICAL (Centre for Health Strategies). His previous roles include Chairman of the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe. He is also a member of the Elders Council.
Emeritus Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke is Professor of Immunology/Parasitology and Fellow of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, the African Academy of Science, and The World Academy of Science. Until March 2013, she served as Head of Department at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, and Director of the Biotechnology Centre. She is Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Medical Research Institute (IMPM) and Vice President of the Scientific Committee of the Cameroon First Lady’s Research Centre (CIRCB). She was the 2014 Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisberg Memorial Lecturer at the University of Ghana and was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa (DSc).
In 2011, she received the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women. In 2015, she was elected International Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). She has been a member of the Canada Gairdner Foundation Global Health Award Advisory Committee and was elected one of nine women as Heroine of Health 2018. In 2018, she was crowned by the Cameroon Medical Council as Queen Mother of the Cameroonian Medical Community. The Forbes Africa April/May 2021 edition named her as Icon #24.
In December 2022, she received the Achievement in Global Health Leadership award by the African Union and Africa CDC. In February 2023, she became Chair of the Independent Review Committee (IRC) of the GAVI Alliance until January 2026. On October 14 in Berlin, she received the 2023 Virchow Prize for Global Health. In May 2024, she received the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Prize for Women in Science Africa and Arab World, and in November 2024, the UNESCO-Guinea Equatorial Presidential Scientific Prize.
Professor Leke has served as Chair of the Multilateral Initiative in Malaria (MIM) Secretariat. She was President of FAIS and Council member of IUIS for two terms. She has served as consultant on many committees for the World Health Organization (WHO), including the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC) and the Malaria Elimination Oversight Committee. Since 1999, she has served as Chair of the African Regional Commission for the Certification of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis (ARCC), and on August 25, 2020, she read the declaration announcing Africa free from indigenous wild polio virus. She is one of the six members of the Global Certification Commission (GCC), representing the African Region. Since 2013, she has served on the WHO Emergency Committee for Polio Eradication. She also served as Vice-Chair of the first Technical Evaluation Reference Group (TERG) of the Global Fund.
Professor Leke has been very effective in training the next generation of scientists, nationally and internationally, and continues to do so through the Higher Women Consortium Cameroon, a holistic mentoring program and one of her very successful initiatives.
Dr. Tolbert Nyenswah is a globally recognized public health leader with more than 20 years of experience in epidemic preparedness, outbreak response, health systems strengthening, and global health security. He currently serves as Director of the Center for Public Health Emergencies Management (PHEM) at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), where he provides strategic leadership for continental emergency preparedness, surveillance, response, recovery, and One Health initiatives across 55 African Union Member States.
Dr. Nyenswah previously served as Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia and Deputy Minister of Health for Disease Surveillance and Epidemic Control, where he played a leading role in Liberia’s response to the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic. He has also contributed significantly to global COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts through collaborations with Johns Hopkins University, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the World Bank Pandemic Fund, and international vaccine and research initiatives.
In addition to his leadership at Africa CDC, Dr. Nyenswah serves as Chief Executive Officer of PandemicShield, LLC, and is a member of the Independent Review Committee of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. He is widely recognized for advancing equitable access to vaccines, strengthening emergency management systems, and promoting resilient public health institutions across Africa and globally.
Dr. Nyenswah holds a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA. He holds a degree in law and a scientist, biologist. He has extensive expertise in infectious disease control, emergency management systems, global health policy, and implementation research. He is also a published author with more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and the author of Collapse and Resiliency: The Inside Story of Liberia’s Unprecedented Ebola Response.
ACHIEVE Africa invites nominations for leadership and expert roles across its governance and technical leadership bodies. These appointments will help guide a continent led platform dedicated to accelerating health innovation, advancing equity, and strengthening the development and manufacturing of vaccines and biologics in Africa.
ACHIEVE Africa is advancing:
To support scientific excellence, strategic oversight, and effective implementation, nominations are sought for the following three bodies:
The Stakeholder Council is the highest strategic and decision-making body of ACHIEVE Africa. It provides strategic direction, governance and financial oversight and oversight of the Secretariat, while ensuring alignment with African priorities and partnerships principles.
The Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) is an independent scientific and technical advisory body that provides impartial, high-level guidance to strengthen the scientific quality, relevance, and impact of ACHIEVE Africa’s programs.
The Program Leadership Team (PLT) is the senior technical management and implementation body responsible for pillar-level leadership, technical coordination, and delivery oversight across ACHIEVE Africa’s program areas.
Principles and Process
All nominations will be assessed by an independent ACHIEVE Africa Selection Committee using standardized evaluation criteria tailored to each body. Selection will consider scientific and technical excellence, leadership, integrity, independence, and relevant governance or advisory experience. ACHIEVE Africa is committed to geographic diversity across Africa, gender balance, multilingual and multidisciplinary representation, and inclusion across the vaccine and global health ecosystem.
Shortlisted candidates may be contacted for additional information, references, conflict-of-interest review, and interview, where applicable. Final appointments will be made by the ACHIEVE Africa Stakeholder Council.
Eligibility, ethics, and service expectations
Nominees must be able to serve objectively and in the best interests of ACHIEVE Africa’s mission. Members will be expected to disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest, maintain confidentiality of non-public information, and comply with applicable governance and ethics requirements.
How to nominate
Nominations from governments, African and international institutions, research organizations, private-sector organizations, civil society organizations, and qualified individuals are welcome. Self-nominations are also accepted.
A complete nomination package should include:
Please submit nominations by 15 June 2026 to iviafrica@ivi.int with the subject line: ACHIEVE Africa Nomination: [Position].
ACHIEVE Africa may retain strong applications for consideration in future vacancies, subject to the nominee’s consent. Questions may be directed to Prof. Nicaise Ndembi at nicaise.ndembi@ivi.int
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