29 Jun Africa REACH Leadership Council Inaugural Meeting
29 June 2022- Virtual
The Africa REACH initiative led by the Leadership Council Chair, H.E Mrs. Monica Geingos-the First Lady of Namibia and President of OAFLAD, invited multiple African leaders from different industries and sectors to join the first ever African-owned and African-led council which focuses solely on ending paediatric AIDS on the continent by 2025!
What was the Objective of the Meeting?
The meeting objectives included formally introducing Africa REACH to the Leadership Council, letting council members get to meet and know each other, as well as an opportunity for the council members to commit to being the voice of Africa REACH and use every platform they have to advocate for ending paediatric HIV.
Who attended the Meeting?
The meeting was well attended with 9 of the 10 Leadership Council members present on the call, the Africa REACH Hub made an introductory presentation and the key takeaways from the post-presentation deliberations included commitments to use all their various platforms to advocate for ending AIDS in children in Africa, from social media posts to in-person speaking opportunities.
The meeting was attended by the below, with apologies from Hon. Patience Masua of Namibia.
- H.E. Mrs. Monica Geingos (Chair) – Namibia
- Rev. Godson, Lawson Kpavuvu (Co-Chair) – Togo
- Dr Criselda Kananda – South Africa
- Hon. Judith Kapinga – Tanzania
- Hon. Princess Kasune – Zambia
- Dr. Agnes Mahomva – Zimbabwe
- Ms. Chido Mpemba – Zimbabwe
- Hon. Emma Theofelus – Namibia
- H.E. Mrs. Toyin Saraki (represented) – Nigeria
Next Steps…
The council decided to launch officially in Addis Ababa at the African Union Heads of State Summit in February 2023, however, they reiterated that they did not need to wait for the official launch to start their work and encouraged the Africa REACH Hub team to expedite the website and social media establishment.