Board Members

Hon. Dr. Nchabi Richard Kamwi

President

Dr. Richard Nchabi Kamwi, MSc, PhD, is the Elimination 8 (E8) Ambassador and former Minister of Health and Social Services in Namibia. Dr. Kamwi previously served as an elected member of Namibia’s national Parliament. He holds several advisory positions, including the Africa CDC Champion, Board Member of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, Member of the Independent Advisory Panel of the World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, and the UNITAID Advisory Panel. Serves as member of Africa CDC Taskforce for Novel Coronavirus Steering Committee on AU. Dr. Kamwi serves as advisor to the ministerial executive Leadership Program for Africa CDC.

Dr Kamwi saves as a counsellor to the country’s senior political leadership as an elder statesman. He is a revered veteran of the liberation struggle for the Republic of Namibia.

Dr. Kamwi began his career in malaria as the head of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program in Namibia, prior to his appointment as Deputy Minister and then Minister of Health. While Minister of Health, he led an effort to secure both domestic and external resources for the health sector, greatly expanding Namibia’s response to HIV, TB, and malaria. Dr. Kamwi has received the Harvard University Leadership Award in Health, the CDC Award of Appreciation for Outstanding Leadership, and the World Health Organization Gold Medal Award. He holds a PhD in Malariology from University of Namibia and Master’s in Applied Parasitology and Medical Entomology from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Dr Kamwi has acoomplished many milestones during his professional career. He led the roll out and introduction of the achievements of the E8 concepts to the Sahel region. When he served as the Honorable minister of Health and Social Services, he established the first medical school of medicine in the country, opened six nursing schools and facilitating the establishment of the school of pharmacy. During his tenure, maternal mortality was reduced significantly and malaria was stemed from high burden and high mortality to one of global’s top 20 eliminating countries globally.

Professor Mohamed Chakroun

Vice President

Mohamed Chakroun is Medical Doctor, specialist in infectious diseases. He’s currently Hospital Practitioner supporting PLWHA, Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Fattouma Bourguiba Teaching Hospital and University Professor teaching in the Medical School of Monastir, Tunisia.

He has diplomas in clinical management of HIV/AIDS as well as leadership and management from the University of Washington (USA).

He’s a national and regional consultant on HIV/AIDS, having provided several training on HIV testing, Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), management of Opportunistic infections (OIs), and PMTCT in Tunisia and in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). He was author of several national and regional manuals and guides on HIV/AIDS (HIV testing, ART, PMTCT, PrEP, Therapeutic Education) and several national and international publications on HIV/AIDS.

He was scientific coordinator of the Tunisian Guidelines on ART in 2010, 2013 and 2020. He was peer reviewer for WHO consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, treatment, and care for key populations (2014) and member of WHO Guideline Development Group for the use of antiretrovirals and pre-exposure prophylaxis since 2014.

He’s chair of CCM Tunisia, member of the Ethics and Governance Committee and Alternate board member at the Global Fund for the EMR.

He participated in International Visitor Leadership Program for HIV/AIDS education and prevention in USA, 2012 and in several international conferences on HIV/AIDS including ICASA 2009, 2015, 2017, 2019.

Prof. Jeanine Condo, MD, PhD

Secretary-General

Global Health Leader | Research Excellence | Policy Innovation

Prof. Jeanine Condo is a transformational global health leader whose distinguished career exemplifies the intersection of clinical expertise, research excellence, and strategic policy implementation. With over two decades of experience spanning clinical medicine, academic leadership, government service, and entrepreneurial innovation, she has emerged as one of Africa’s most influential voices in evidence-based healthcare and health systems strengthening. As Managing Director and CEO of CIIC-HIN, she leads cutting-edge research initiatives worth over $4 million across multiple African countries, while simultaneously serving as Local Scientific Co-Chair of the International AIDS Society 2025 Conference.

Prof. Condo’s leadership credentials are anchored by her transformative tenure as Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (2016-2019), where she successfully managed 700 staff members across 14 specialized divisions encompassing communicable disease programs, medical research initiatives, and national laboratory systems. Her academic leadership journey from Dean of the School of Public Health to Principal of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences demonstrated her ability to manage large-scale educational programs serving nearly 4,000 students while maintaining rigorous academic standards. This experience translates directly to her current role leading multi-country research initiatives and complex health system interventions.

With a research portfolio spanning over 50 projects as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator, Prof. Condo has secured more than $20 million in funding from prestigious organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, and WHO. Her 80+ peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals including The Lancet, Nature, and BMJ Global Health have shaped evidence-based health policies across sub-Saharan Africa.

Prof. Condo’s international standing is evidenced by her service on prestigious global health committees, including the Global Fund Technical Evaluation Reference Group and GAVI Evaluation Advisory Committee. Her collaborative research network spans leading institutions including Harvard University, University of British Columbia, and Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. Her career trajectory reflects a consistent commitment to translating scientific rigor into practical solutions that improve health outcomes for Africa’s most vulnerable populations, combining clinical wisdom, research excellence, and strategic vision to drive meaningful change in global health.

Dr. Avelin Aghokeng Fobang

Deputy Secretary-General

I’m a virologist, PhD, researcher at the French Institute of Research for Development, and currently based in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo.

I have been working for nearly 20 years on viral infections and their consequences for public health, particularly in poor countries, and more specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa, where very often, the most affected are found. HIV infection is the field in which I have been heavily involved over these years, but my researches also focus on other viruses (HTLV, SIV, HBV, HCV, SARS-CoV-2).

My work focuses on the modalities of emergence of these viruses, the conditions and factors influencing their propagation and virulence in humans; the control strategies and tools as antiviral drugs and the risks of developing resistance to these control tools. Throughout my career, I have worked in Côte d’Ivoire as director of the virology laboratory of the CDC Atlanta RetroCI project, where I developed and implemented operational programs to support efficacy of treatments for people living with HIV, through the PEPFAR. After CI, I moved to Cameroon, where I implemented and developed a virology research laboratory from 2008 to 2014, one of the first accredited in Africa for HIV drug resistance surveillance by WHO. More recently, I was appointed at the CIRMF in Franceville, Gabon, where I developed research programs around new HIV treatment combinations and the prevention of emerging drug resistance to these ARVs, and I’m currently based in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where I’m implementing similar research programs on HIV and other new emerging viruses.

I have been associated with SSA and ICASA activities for over 13 years, providing my expertise, contributing to the organization of our conferences and workshops, and serving of the organization and/or scientific committees.

Dr. Aliou Sylla

Treasurer

Dr. Aliou Sylla was a pioneer in implementing Mali’s community health policy and served as the Physician-Director of the “ASACOSEK” community health center for 5 years. He was the founding President of ARCAD-SIDA, the most important non-profit organization offering treatment to PLWHA in Mali (1994-2016). For about a decade, he also served as the Director of CESAC, Mali’s largest HIV treatment center. He was a major force in increasing the visibility and empowerment of PLWHA through the creation of the Malian Network of PLWHA (RMAP+) and support to the African Network of PLWHA (RAP+). He also served as Coordinator of the Ministry of Health’s AIDS program for 10 years. He is a dedicated activist advocating for Human Rights and access to healthcare, prevention, and treatment for PLWHA. He also serves as an Expert/Consultant for and member of many scientific committees for the WHO, UNAIDS, and ANRS in the field of HIV and viral hepatitis. He was named Director of the Africa Bureau and Networks for Coalition Plus three years ago, working on advocacy, skills development, community research, resource mobilization, and good governance. He has received several honors including the Officer of the National Order of Mali Medal and the Knight of the Order of Malta.

Florence Riako Anam

Deputy Treasurer

Florence Riako Anam is a global advocacy thought leader in the HIV response and movement. It matters to her that global policy and research decisions translate into action that directly impacts people living with and affected by HIV to enjoy quality of life. Florence is currently the Co-Executive Director at the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+). She works from Kenya. She previously worked as a Programme Manager for Love Alliance at GNP+ and led the GNP+ advocacy on pediatric HIV treatment and care. She is a seasoned HIV and SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) community advocate with over ten years’ experience leading advocacy, policy, communication programs for health and social development. Florence has also previously worked at Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Community of Women Living with HIV. She holds a Masters of Arts, Communications degree from The University of Nairobi and Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Maseno University.

Prof. Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan

Member

Prof. Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan has competency and experience with gender mainstreaming into policies and programs, and programming for key and vulnerable populations including adolescents and young people. She has been a team member, co-lead or lead – in the design and implementation of at least 60 technical reports in the last 20 years; had been engaged with the development of national, regional and international strategic plans, guidelines and documents; and has experience conducting monitoring and evaluation projects including working on global fund projects. In addition, she has vast experience with conducting translational research that has significant import for HIV prevention and the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents; and experience with research ethics and governance including being a member of the CIOMS Working Group on Principles of Good Governance for Research Institutions. She has participated in several agenda‐setting initiatives relating to HIV prevention and ethics issues including being the Chair of the ICASA 2015 Community Programs Committee, Track C Committee member of the 2016 IAS Conference, Track D co-chair for the 2018 IAS conference and Track E Chair for the ICASA 2019/2021 conference. She has several organizational development experiences including her role as the Coordinator of the New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society whose affairs she successfully steered for 16 years from its inception; member of the Peer Review Forum, a coalition of civil society watchdogs overseeing the national HIV response; CASPR, an African Coalition of organizations fostering HIV prevention advocacy in Africa, and AfrNI, an African focused civil society coalition promoting domestic resource mobilization and ethical HIV prevention research conduct in Africa. She currently works as a researcher with the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where she is listed as the 2021 topmost research publisher in the institution and one of the topmost 2% researchers in the world in 2021 by the Standard University Ranking.

Download the Curriculum Vitae of Prof. Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan

Dr. Djoualdbaye Benjamin

Member

I am a skilled leader in global health with over 24 years of experience, focusing on the African health landscape. Since October 2024, I have served as Head of Interim Secretariat of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). Before that, I was the Head of Division of Policy, Health Diplomacy and Communication at the Africa CDC. I lead initiatives in infectious diseases and health diplomacy, shaping public health policies and communication across Africa. I hold a medical degree from Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey and specialise in infectious diseases and vaccinology at Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, France.

Additionally, I completed advanced studies in HIV/AIDS, Sexual Reproductive Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics. I also hold a Master’s in Population Studies and Public Health from the University of Ouagadougou in collaboration with the University of Montreal.

Previously, I had the opportunity between 2009 and 2012 to be the AU’s representative for the Tripartite Task Force between the African Union Commission, AUDA NEPAD and the AU RECs for the African Medicine Regulatory Harmonisation. In 2012, I was a key team member in drafting the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Business Plan for Africa.

Furthermore, I served as Executive Secretary of the African Union COVID-19 Response Fund, leading efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. I was also Senior Health Officer for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and Other Infectious Diseases at the African Union Commission (AUC), where I oversaw transformative public health programs. My leadership in crisis management includes heading the African Union’s Mission to combat the Ebola outbreak in the DRC (2017-2018) and leading the African Union Support to Ebola in West Africa (ASEOWA) as Head of Mission in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea (2014-2016).

As a public health expert, I’ve successfully led large-scale health initiatives, demonstrating strong skills and competencies in coordination, strategic partnership development, and resource mobilisation. My leadership has been critical to advancing Africa’s health diplomacy aligned with Aspiration 3 of the Agenda 2063.