NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

On Thursday, Mar. 18, Devex will host a live conversation with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. John Nkengasong, underwritten by the Novartis Foundation.

This conversation, led by Sara Jerving, global health reporter for Devex, comes as African nations begin rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, while also grappling with new variants of the virus emerging across the continent.

As director of the key agency responding to the pandemic in Africa, along with the World Health Organization, Nkengasong has managed a series of seemingly impossible tasks over the past year. This includes launching a pandemic response with only two laboratories on the continent able to test for the virus and with African nations unable to buy reagents, despite having the funds, managing shortages of items such as personal protective equipment, and laying the groundwork for a massive vaccine rollout.

This exclusive conversation with Nkengasong will examine what’s next as the continent moves forward with the largest vaccination campaign in its history, examining the challenges that lie ahead.

Time: 10:30 AM ET | 5:30 PM EAT