The Steering Committee is an external advisory body which provides guidance on the project’s strategic direction, resource mobilisation, and the sustainability of project investments. It sits outside the formal reporting chain, offering independent guidance to the General Assembly and the Coordinator.
Position within the governance structure
Steering Committee(External Advisory Body)
General Assembly(All Beneficiary Leads)
CoordinatorEDCTP Association
Guidance (advisory — outside the formal reporting chain)
Mandate
Strategic Direction
Provides guidance on the project's overall strategic direction as it evolves across the consortium.
Resource Mobilisation
Advises on mobilising additional resources to support and extend the reach of project investments.
Sustainability
Guides planning for the long-term sustainability of project investments beyond the funding period.
Committee members
Sample members shown below for layout preview — replace with the confirmed roster before publishing.
Dr. Amina Kessler
Chair, Steering Committee
Former Director, Global Health Policy Unit
Dr. Kessler brings over two decades of experience in global health governance and outbreak response policy. She has advised multiple multilateral health initiatives on strategic direction and long-term investment sustainability, and chairs the Steering Committee's quarterly strategic reviews.
Prof. Julius Mbeki
Vice-Chair, Steering Committee
Professor of Epidemiology, Regional Public Health Institute
Prof. Mbeki's research focuses on epidemic preparedness systems across East and Southern Africa. He supports the committee's work on aligning ACT-PREP's clinical trial capacity-building with national public health priorities.
Dr. Helena Novak
Member — Clinical Trials & Regulatory Science
Senior Advisor, International Clinical Trials Network
Dr. Novak specialises in outbreak-responsive clinical trial design and regulatory harmonisation across multiple jurisdictions. She advises the committee on trial-readiness benchmarks and ethics/regulatory capacity investments.
Mr. Kwame Osei
Member — Resource Mobilisation
Partnerships Lead, African Health Financing Alliance
Mr. Osei works on diversifying funding pipelines for public health infrastructure across the continent. He guides the committee's recommendations on sustaining ACT-PREP investments beyond the current funding period.
Dr. Fatima Rahman
Member — Public Health Policy
Senior Fellow, Institute for Health Systems Strengthening
Dr. Rahman's work centres on translating research capacity into national health policy. She advises the committee on embedding clinical trial preparedness within public health systems, in line with the project's core goal.
Prof. Erik Lindqvist
Member — Laboratory & Surveillance Systems
Director, European Centre for Infectious Disease Diagnostics
Prof. Lindqvist brings expertise in laboratory infrastructure and cross-border surveillance systems. He advises the committee on the strategic direction of ACT-PREP's laboratory strengthening investments.
