2nd Edition: The Harm Reduction Exchange

Prof. Abdoul A. Kassé

After obtaining his baccalaureate at the Lycée Blaise Diagne in Senegal, Prof. Abdoul Aziz Kassé enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine in Dakar as a student of the Military School of Health, where he obtained his doctorate in 1982. A cancer specialist, Prof. Kassé is a Commanding Physician in the Army Health Service. He has been a lecturer in oncological surgery since 1988, working at the Cancer Institute and various schools and faculties of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. He is the President of the International Cancer Centre of Dakar.

Prof. Kassé is a founding member of the Euro-African Cancer Group and the Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC). In 2012, he received the Gold Medal of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Prof. Kassé is well known for his commitment to the fight against cancer, particularly breast and cervical cancer, which claim many victims yearly in Senegal. He is also the former president of the Senegalese League against Tobacco.

Mr. Clive Bates

Mr. Clive Bates has had a diverse career in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He started with the IT company International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), then switched careers to work in the environment movement.

From 1997 to 2003, he was Director of Action on Smoking and Health (UK), campaigning to reduce the harms caused by tobacco. In 2003 he joined Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit as a civil servant and worked in senior roles in the public sector and for the United Nations in Sudan.

He is now the Director of Counterfactual, a consulting and advocacy practice focused on a pragmatic approach to sustainability and public health.

Dr. Kgosi Letlape

Dr. Kgosi Letlape, an ophthalmologist from South Africa, is a former president of the Health Professions Council and chairman of the Medical and Dental Board of South Africa. He is the current president of the Africa Medical Association and the president of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa.

He is also past chairman of the board of the South African Medical Association (SAMA) and past president of the World Medical Association (WMA), the global representative body for physicians. He has the distinction of being the first black African to qualify as an ophthalmologist in Southfield, South Africa, and the first to become president of the WMA.

He is a healthcare activist who believes that everyone has a right to and deserves to receive equal health care, and that a lot of today’s illnesses can be prevented. To that end, he cofounded the Africa Harm Reduction Alliance, whose aim is to create awareness and educate about the need to reduce harm and promote wellbeing. Dr. Kgosi is also a PMI consultant on the harm reduction related matters.

Mr. Joseph Magero

Mr. Joseph Magero is the Chairman of Campaign for Safer Alternatives (CASA), a pan-African organisation that advocates adopting tobacco harm reduction policies in Africa. As the unifying voice for consumer organisations, CASA promotes exchanging information and potential actions to reduce exposure to tobacco related harm.

He is an ardent tobacco harm reductionist, lobbying for reducing smoking-related diseases and mortality in Africa by advocating for reduced-risk products for cigarette smokers. He is also a mentor on the Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarships Program (THRSP) of Tobacco Harm Reduction Nigeria, which focuses on promoting safer alternatives to smoking.

In 2019, Mr. Magero was awarded Advocate of the Year by the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO).

Ms. Bernice Apondi

Ms. Bernice Apondi is a drug policy and human rights advocate from Kenya. Ms. Apondi has been a consultant in East Africa in drug policy, harm reduction, HIV, human rights, gender, and social policy for more than 15 years. Currently, she is the Advisor for Research and Policy at VOCAL-Kenya. Ms. Apondi has been credited with creating and supporting national networks of people who use drugs in East Africa.

Previously, she was also a researcher for the Africa Mental Health Foundation. Ms. Apondi holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Communication from the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Mr. Jonathan Fell

Mr. Jonathan Fell is a founder of Ash Park, managing the Ash Park Global Consumer Franchise funds. The organisation focuses on long-term, high-quality investments in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, including the tobacco sector.

Before 2013, he was team head of the consumer equity research group at Deutsche Bank in London, where he covered the tobacco and beverages sectors, following earlier spells at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. Mr. Fell is also a director of Article 36, a UK-based not- for-profit organization working to promote public scrutiny over the development and use of weapons.

Mr. Chimwemwe Ngoma

Mr. Chimwemwe Ngoma has five years of working experience as a citizen journalist at National Publication Limited and BNL Times. He has experience in tourism marketing, project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and data capturing. Mr. Ngoma also has a history of winning grants. He has a PhD., MA in Media Studies and a BSc. in Agricultural Education.

He is also a Sociology candidate. He currently works as an Assistant Programme Manager at KNOWLEDGE-ACTION-CHANGE, advocating for tobacco harm reduction and defining strategies to reduce health risks associated with nicotine use through smoking. He also promotes using safer alternatives for smokers and implements programmes and practices to minimise drug uses adverse health, social and legal impacts.

Dr. Vivian Manyeki

Dr. Vivian Manyeki is a medical doctor engaged in public health management in Kenya. She graduated with a medical degree from Kuban State Medical University, Russia. She went for attachment in Cyprus before joining Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), the largest referral hospital in East Africa. In Kenya, she has worked in both public and private institutions. She worked in various capacities in the Research and Quality departments before moving to the Infectious Diseases Unit in April 2020. She oversaw clinical expertise and patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic and is passionate about research on issues affecting adolescents and young adults.

Her interaction with tobacco’s effects and connection to the severity of the COVID-19 cases with which she interacted fueled her keen interest in research into the harms of smoking. She’s held senior positions such as Medical Superintendent at the Kimbimbi Sub-County Hospital, and Project Director at the Kirinyaga County Health Management Team, Implementation Managerfor HIV and TB innovations funded by CRISSP, COPI/Project Study Lead – KNH/UW. Through her work, she has interacted with people from different cultures. She is a tobacco harm reduction advocate.

Mr. Linus Gitahi

Mr. Linus Gitahi is the retired Group Chief Executive Officer of Nation Media Group (NMG), the biggest media firm in East and Central Africa. He served in the position from 2006 and 2015. Currently, he is a special advisor to the NMG Group. NMG publishes the Daily Nation, the regions most respected newspaper and several leading television and FM stations.

Mr. Gitahi is Chairman of the Federation of Kenya Employers, Chairman of Sol Plaajte Institute of Media at Rhodes University, Chairman of Afrika Investment Bank, a board member of the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM), International Press Institute (IPI), United States International University (USIU), and Media Council of Kenya.

He is a fellow of the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) and a holder of the Moran of the Burning Spear from the Government of Kenya. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the African Leadership Initiative – East Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. His position as a business leader in some of the most respected companies in East and West Africa has given him a unique perspective in understanding the emerging economic and political landscapes.

Dr. Tendai Mhizha

Dr. Tendai Mhizha brings 25 years of leadership experience and knowledge of pan-African strategy, general management, marketing, branding and market research. As a true explorer of the world, she has degrees – including a PhD in Business Science from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Management – from six countries. Dr Mhizha is an author, public speaker and lecturer in Strategy, Brand Engagement and Leadership Coaching.

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Studies. She is the author of the only sub- Saharan African Living Standard Measure (LSM) tool currently used globally. She has worked for the Edgars Group, Wella and WPP Plc. She has also led a 25-year-old pan-African market research agency, Research Bureau International.

She is the Founder and Chief Inspirer of Integra Africa, which offers unique Tribe programmes (Talent Retention and Return) through internal brand engagement and strategic solutions with Africa at heart. She is a knowledge empowerer teaching at Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba

Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba is a seasoned professional with African, European, Middle Eastern and United States experience. He is AllAfrica’s Co-Founder and Executive Chair, owner and operator of http://allafrica.com, the largest global distributor of African news and information. Before that, Mr. Ba served as Communications Director at BICIS Bank, a Bank BNP Paribas subsidiary. From 1993 to 1996, he helped restructure and privatise the Pan-African News Agency (PANA).

He has participated in prestigious working groups, including the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, the European Leadership Council of Mercy Corps, the World Economic Forum Network of Global Agenda Councils, Women’s Economic Imperative, the Government of Dubai’s Global Council for SDG5. He also sits on the ONE Africa Policy Advisory Board.

In 2008, he convened the first African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF), the largest gathering of African media owners and operators. He is recipient of many distinguished awards and recognitions, including New African Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Africans for three consecutive years. In 2014 he was on Forbes’ list of the Top 10 Most Powerful Men in Africa.

Africa24 Magazine listed him among the top 500 Africans contributing to the continent’s rise. EXPO 2015 and AfrOnline awarded him the Africa Media Prize for “outstanding contribution to African media and skills to promote innovation” in 2012.