Dr Mabel K. M. Magowe is currently a Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Health Sciences, senior lecturer and coordinator for HIV/AIDS Education at the University of Botswana. She is a renowned researcher who has immensely contributed to the HIV and AIDS research, currently working with a team of researchers on intervention to promote adolescent prevention behaviour for reproductive health outcomes including prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy. This intervention was preceded by an earlier pilot in 2011-2012, which produced sterling results and appreciated by the participating adolescents and their parents.

She has received PEPFAR funding in 2010-2011 to promote the integration of HIV and AIDS content into University of Botswana curricula, and to develop a Preceptorship program for the School of Nursing. She was also part of the team that received PEPFAR funding through the African Health Professions Regulatory Collaborative for Nurses and Midwives to conduct several research studies and implementation science projects in collaboration with Emory University, East Central Southern Africa college of Nursing (ECSACON), Population Services International (PSI), the Common Wealth Nurses and Midwives Federation (CNMF) and National Regulatory Bodies in the ECSA region.

From 1986 to 1996 she served as a lecturer of midwifery and senior lecture at the Institute of Health Science in Gaborone. Her decades of work history include clinical care as a nurse and midwife, service on government policy task forces, developing family planning policies and procedure manuals, reviewing midwifery curricula, and developing a national program for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Botswana. She has also collaborated or educated nurses for several universities, including Sefako Makgatho Memorial University of Health Sciences in Tshwane, South Africa; the University of South Africa; the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe; and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania.

Dr Magowe was recently received Emory University’s Sheth Distinguished International Alumni award which is given to Emory alumni who represent the university well international through their outstanding contribution to humanity, science, art or human welfare. She has also received the University of Botswana Red Ribbon Award for being a champion in HIV/AIDS education. She is also a recipient of the Edith Anderson Leadership Education Grant awarded by Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice in Vienna, Austria in July 2007; to attend and give her podium presentation at the 18th International Nursing Research.

Dr Magowe holds a PhD in Nursing from Emory University, Atlanta Georgia, USA, Masters in Midwifery from University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago Illinois, USA, a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Botswana, Diploma in Midwifery and Nursing from National Health Institute, Gaborone. In the past she received the East Central and southern Africa College of Nursing award for her outstanding contribution to Nursing, Midwifery and Health in the Region. Her other research interest are in reproductive health and use of ICT and e-learning for health professional education.

Mr Molwa Tshekiso is a Founder and Managing Director of Employment Solutions Consultancy, a Human Resources, Labour Relations, and training Consultancy that provides a wide range of services in the entire HR and Labour Relations value chains. He is an HR and Labour Relations practitioner with over 25 years Botswana and regional experience in the Railways, Diamond Sorting, valuing, and selling industries. He is a former Head of Human Resources and Human Resources Manager at the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTCB) and its predecessor company the Botswana Diamond Valuing Company (BDVC). Molwa has provided both strategic and operational leadership in executing and driving the people management agenda for corporate strategies through leading, guiding, facilitating and supporting businesses in developing and implementing various people management policies, strategies, initiatives and the required change as a discipline expert. Mr Tshekiso is a certified and a natural coach and mentor for various strata of employees and managers in the corporate world. He is a reputed negotiator who has successfully led diverse and dynamic teams achieving remarkable results during his reign at both the DTCB and the BDVC. He cut his teeth in HR and Labour Relations at Botswana Railways where he trained and worked both in Botswana and at the National Railways of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo.

Tshekiso is one of the graduate Chartered Members of the British Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD) UK in Botswana, the world’s leading professional body for Human Resources (HR) and people development and arguably the experts on the world of work and a career partner to over 150,000 members around the world. Molwa Tshekiso has served in the Maruapula School Council and he is also the immediate former Chairman of the Broadhurst Primary School Board of Directors-A Debswana School in Gaborone. He previously served in the Broadhurst Primary School Council for many years before joining the board and elected chairperson within a brief period.

Mr Tshekiso is a graduate of the Universities of Botswana, the University of Manchester (UK) and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, RSA). His highest academic qualifications are an MSc in Human Resources Management from the University of Manchester (UK) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Botswana. He has also acquired a postgraduate certificate programme in Industrial Relations still from the University of the Witwatersrand Business School. In addition, Tshekiso has attended various management and senior leadership programmes both in Botswana, South Africa and Overseas such as the International Executive Development Programmes (IEDP) jointly offered by the Wits and London Business Schools, Negotiation for Senior Executives by the Harvard Law School, Cambridge Massachusetts, USA. Leadership Change management and Strategy management Development programmes at the Gordon Institute of Business Sciences (GIBS), University of Pretoria and the Wits Business Schools. Furthermore, he studied senior leadership courses on effective Communications and presentation, personal professional development, change management training for executives, and various other courses and seminars on strategy formulation and implementation, Collective bargaining and conflict resolutions, negotiations, mediation, conciliation and arbitration, performance management, remuneration and rewards, job evaluation and grading, strategic resourcing, business process improvement, employee engagement and commitment, diversity and inclusion strategies and culture and change management.

As Executive head of human resources for the DTCB, he oversaw the development and implementation of a progressive companywide policy and programme on employee health and wellness in the workplace encompassing health promotion and education, clinical care for HIV/Aids and non-communicable diseases and a robust occupational health and safety programme which policy and programmes earned group wide praise. The company performed extremely well against the 90:90:90 universal targets.

Tshekiso has a wealth of experience and exposure with leading negotiations in highly unionised environments, leading and driving organisational transformations, implementing re-organisation processes, building high performance teams strategies, strategic resourcing, international human resources management, talent management including global mobility management strategies, strategic remuneration and reward, performance management and performance based pay and rewards, leadership and management development strategies employee relations and conflict management to list a few.

Tshekiso is currently providing a suite of HR, Labour Relations, Training and Development and coaching services to a wide and diverse clientele across the private, parastatal and public sectors in Botswana.

Dr. Edward Tlholwe Maganu is currently retired and has held high positions in the World Health Organization (WHO) as the WHO Representative in Zambia, Tanzania and Swaziland. He has also served as WHO Medical Officer for Tuberculosis, Inter Country Project in Pretoria, South Africa.

Before joining WHO, Dr. Maganu held the following positions in the Ministry of Health in Botswana; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health in Botswana, Deputy Permanent Secretary and Director of Health Services, Assistant Director of Health Services, Principal Medical Officer of Health, Senior Medical Officer, Epidemiologist, Co-Regional Medical Officer, North-West District, Medical Officer, mainly in Princess Marina Hospital and Scottish Livingstone Hospital. Dr. Maganu has wide experience in managing health services and has published papers in different subject areas especially in the health arena.

Dr. Jeffrey L. Sturchio is President and CEO at Rabin Martin, a global health strategy consulting firm, and former President and CEO of the Global Health Council. Before joining the Council in 2009, Dr. Sturchio was vice president of Corporate Responsibility at Merck & Co. Inc., president of The Merck Company Foundation and chairman of the U. S. Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), whose 180 member companies represent some 85 percent of total US private sector investment in Africa. While at Merck & Co., Inc., for more than a decade he was a leader of the company’s global HIV/AIDS policy and was centrally involved in the UN/Industry Accelerating Access Initiative established in 2000 to help improve HIV/AIDS care and treatment in the developing world. He was a member of the board of the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships in Botswana (2005-2009) and a member of the private sector delegation to the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (2002-2008).

He is chairman of the BroadReach Institute for Training and Education and a member of the boards of the U. S. Pharmacopeia, the Corporate Council on Africa, and the Museum of AIDS in Africa. Dr. Sturchio is also currently a visiting scholar at the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health and the Study of Business Enterprise at The Johns Hopkins University; Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Affairs; a principal of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network; Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; and an advisor to amfAR, the Clinton Global Initiative and the NCD Alliance. He received an AB in history from Princeton University and a PhD in the history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania. His publications include Noncommunicable diseases in the developing world: addressing global gaps in policy and research (edited with L. Galambos, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013).

Professor Mosepele Mosepele is an associate Professor and Head of Department, Internal Medicine, at the University of Botswana. Professor Mosepele is also a Research Associate at Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health and a former senior lecturer of internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Botswana.

Professor Mosepele is a member of multiple local committees and technical task force on HIV, Infectious Disease. He serves as a member of Africa wide expert panel on HIV care and inter-professional education. He has also served as a member of international scientific groups such as the AIDS Clinical Trails research on HIV associated inflammation and end-organ dysfunction. Previously, he served as a reviewer of scientific works including research proposals, peer reviewed publications for international research funding agencies and peer reviewed publications.

He also contributes to Community and University Engagements such being regular presenter on Radio Botswana on various health related topic to sensitive the community on emerging and challenging community health issues.

He is a recipient of multiple research awards as a medical student (University of Melbourne), Clinical Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. Post-graduation, he has been listed in multiple research grants as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator from funding agencies such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), in the USA, Wellcome Trust in the UK and European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), European Union Office, Europe.

Professor Mosepele holds Bachelor Biomedical Science (Medical Education), Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery from University of Melbourne, Internal Medicine Residency, University of Pennsylvania a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Master of Science Clinical Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

Mr. Serwalo S. G. Tumelo is an Economist by profession and his experience is primarily in the areas of National development planning, coordination and management, public finance mobilisation and management, multilateral institutional coordination and negotiations; and corporate finance and management. He is a former: Secretary for Economic Affairs, Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of; Agriculture and Finance and Development Planning, the positions he held for 2, 2 and 10 years, respectively, until 31st December, 2008, when he retired from the Public Service of the Government of the Republic of Botswana after 31 years of service. While at the Ministry Finance and Development Planning, Mr Tumelo spearheaded a special programme to undertake a functional and organisational restructuring of the Ministry, with the view to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Similarly, while at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Tumelo, spearheaded agricultural; policy, programmes and State Owned Entities reforms to enhance the effectiveness of the sector.

While in Government, in different capacities, Mr Tumelo provided oversight as a director and a member of several boards/councils of Government Owned Entities amongst others; University of Botswana Council, Botswana Institute of Development Policy Analysis (Chairman), Botswana Livestock Development Corporation (Pty) Ltd (Chairman), Fairgrounds Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (Chairman), Botswana Housing Corporation, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, Public Enterprises Evaluation and Privatization Agency (Chairman), Botswana Development Corporation (Chairman), Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Ltd, and Botswana International University of Science Technology (Chairman). He has also been Alternative Executive Director for the African Development Bank and Alternative Governor for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Following retirement, Mr. Tumelo undertook consultancies, assignments and directorships:

• a) Consultancies for the World Bank for projects in Botswana, namely; Morupule B. Project Implementation and Energy Sector Development in Botswana, Botswana Integrated Transport Project and Interim Executive Director – Champions for an HIV Free Generation.
• b) In 2009, Speaker and Presenter at World Bank and NORAD sponsored international fora, namely: “Timor-Leste National conference Management of Natural Resources for Development” - Dili, Timor-Leste; Botswana’s Experience in Mining Sector” – Yaoundé, Cameroon; and “International Conference – From Curse to Development” – Oslo, Norway.
• c) Assignments’ for the Government of Botswana: In 2010/2011 – Member of the Review Committee of the Botswana International University of Science and Technology and In 2012/2013 – Member of the Delimitation Commission 2012.
• d) Non-Executive Director of: African Alliance Botswana Ltd Group and First Mutual Re-Insurance Botswana.

Mr Tumelo has qualified with a BA (Economics), majoring in Economics and Accounting, University of Botswana and Swaziland, holds a Post Graduate Diploma for Advanced Studies in Economic and Social Studies (Economic Development), the University of Manchester (UK). He also has Certificates on Investment Appraisal and Management and Certificate in Leadership in Development from, Harvard University.

Mrs Irene Kwape is the Chairperson of National Council on Population and Development, and Education and Governance specialist, gender, HIV and AIDS activist. She is an Independent consultant on Governance, HIV and AIDS, research methods, proposal writing and assessment. Mrs Kwape is a former member of Botswana Health Professional Council and former deputy chair and chairperson of Proposal Writing Subcommittee of BCCM. She is a former long-time National Coordinator of the Botswana Christian AIDS Intervention Programme (BOCAIP).

Mrs Kwape was previously a Chief Executive Officer at Botswana Educational Research Association at the University of Botswana where she coordinated the Research and Administrative work of Botswana Educational Research Association, (BERA).

She has co-authored a number of publications such as “Policy brief on Monitoring and Evaluation for SADC” and “Community TB in BOCAIP” for the TB International journal. Her extraordinary work in HIV and AIDS is recognised and she has been awarded the University of Botswana 2016 Red Ribbon award titled “HIV and AIDS Community Engagement Champion”, FHI360 “Lifetime Award in HIV/AIDS” in 2015 and a certificate of Long Service by BOCAIP in the year of 2016. In 2019 she was nominated with eleven other Batswana as an HIV and AIDs legend.

She holds a Diploma in Educational Planning and Administration from International Institute of Educational Planning in Paris, a Bachelor of Science and Concurrent Diploma in Education, University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland majoring in Biology and Chemistry. Master of Education in Research and Evaluation, University of Botswana and Diploma in Relationship Model of Governance, and Strategic planning with Governance Matters, Canada.