Leke Gana Fomban Rose is Professor of Immunology and Parasitology, Fellow, Cameroon Academy of Sciences, Chair Board of Directors of the National Medical Research Institute, IMPM, Vice President of the Scientific Committee of Cameroon First Lady’s Research Centre (CIRCB). Until March 2013, she was Head of Department, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, and Director of the Biotechnology Centre. She was 2014 Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisberg Memorial Lecturer, University of Ghana and awarded Doctor Honoris Causa. One of six women awarded the 2011 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women, received the 2012 award for Excellence in Science from The Cameroon Professional Society (CPS), elected International Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, ASTMH, 2015. Has and still serves as consultant on many WHO committees. Chair of the African Regional commission for Polio eradication, member of the Global Commission. Was Vice-Chair of the (TERG),The Global Fund, is Chair of the MIM Secretariat Initiator of HIGHER Women Cameroon, a consortium of women researchers, she works to empower and mentor young female scientists.

Shabir Madhi (MD, PhD) is Dean of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He is also Director of the South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (Wits-VIDA) and co-director of the African Leadership in Vaccinology Expertise (ALIVE). He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (2012) and Royal Society of South Africa (2016). He is past-president of the World Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases; and past Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. He is recipient of the European Society for Infectious Diseases Young Investigators Award (2006), National Science and Technology Forum: TW Kambule Award (2009), National Research Foundation: Transformation of the Science Cohort (2010), South African Medical Research Council: Life Time Achievement Award (Platinum Medal; 2013) and European and Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership award for Scientific Leadership (2016); Academy of Science South Africa (ASSAf) Gold Medal (2021) and National Science and Technology Forum Life Time Award (2022).

Malu Wa Kalenga obtained his MSc in 1963 from Berkeley, the University of California, in the US; and his PhD in 1969 from Louvain University, in Belgium. He was Professor at the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In his country, he covered many prestigious positions, including General Commissioner of Atomic Energy, Director of the "Service présidentiel d'études", and President of the National Science Council. International positions included: Member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna; President of IAEA General Conference, and Board Member of the United Nations University, in Tokyo. He received many awards including: the Silver Medal of the Civic Merit Africa, and Gold Medal for Scientific Achievement, also from Africa; Chevalier de la Ordre de la Francophonie et du dialogue des cultures; Commandeur of the Ordre national du Léopard, DRC; and an award from the Global Energy Society for Eradication of Poverty and Hunger, in the US. He was one of the founding members of the then-Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), based in Trieste, Italy.