Author: Emmanuel Kimaru

Some people spend years searching for their voice.

Vimbai realised she had already found hers.

Whenever she spoke, people listened.

It was something she began to notice in meetings with colleagues, during technical discussions, and later, in the policy conversations that emerged throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Her ideas resonated. Her arguments carried weight. Increasingly, she found herself helping bridge the gap between research and the decisions that shape public health.

What began as a quiet observation soon became a calling.

“When I’m talking about policy,” she says, “it’s something that I don’t have to think about. It just comes and starts making sense.”

Recently, Vimbai joined the Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative’s Policy Advisory Stakeholders Group (PAS-G) as one of its newest and youngest members, bringing expertise in research governance, infectious disease modelling, and evidence-informed policymaking. More importantly, she brings a conviction that good science only changes lives when the right people are prepared to listen.

Finding Her Path

Vimbai’s journey into policy was anything but conventional.

“My first degree was in Computer Information Systems,” she explains. “Then I moved into monitoring and evaluation, information systems management, bioethics, and infectious disease modelling. I borrowed from a lot of different disciplines to get where I am.”

Rather than following a single career path, she built one across disciplines, combining technical knowledge with an increasing appreciation for how research influences public policy.

Today, she serves as a Research Information and Compliance Officer at the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe, working at the intersection of research governance, evidence generation and policy translation.

When Research Found Its Voice

The COVID-19 pandemic became a defining moment in Vimbai’s career.

As Zimbabwe responded to the crisis, researchers began connecting through virtual discussions that would eventually evolve into the Zimbabwe Infectious Diseases Modelling Consortium, a nationally recognised platform providing evidence and technical guidance to government.

Vimbai was part of that journey from the beginning.

“Some of our leaders became special advisers to the President, and we would feed them with information that was passed on to the Minister,” she recalls.

For the first time, she witnessed scientific evidence moving beyond research papers and into the rooms where national decisions were being made.

That experience transformed the way she viewed policy.

“When research comes in and we get dissemination results and study reports, some of those outcomes are translated into policy,” she says. “That’s how I became involved in this work.”

Today, she sees policy not as a collection of documents or procedures, but as the mechanism through which research creates real-world impact.

Making Evidence Matter

For Vimbai, good policy begins with good science.

“Good research results,” she says without hesitation, “means that the groundwork has been done well and  whatever is translated into policy has been thoroughly examined.”

But rigorous evidence alone does not guarantee change.

“We live in a diversified and highly political world,” she says. “We need to push harder for policies to be adopted.”

Her work has taught her that scientific evidence must compete for attention in complex political environments. Generating knowledge is only part of the challenge. Ensuring that knowledge informs decision-making is equally important.

Making Space at the Table

As a young African woman working at the science-policy interface, Vimbai understands what it means to fight for your voice to be heard.

“Women are not yet enough in these spaces,” she says.

She believes greater representation is essential – not simply because women deserve a seat at the table, but because better policymaking depends on diverse perspectives.

“I wish to be in government one day, perhaps in a ministerial position or as a permanent secretary,” she says. “If you look around right now, how many women are in policymaking roles? Very few. The space is not as welcoming as it should be.”

She points to the barriers that continue to limit women’s participation in policymaking across the continent.

“The doors are not open enough for us. You want to be heard, but often the doors are closed.”

Yet she also believes the landscape is beginning to change.

“Women now have the zeal to participate,” she says. “Despite not being heard before, we now have the confidence to say: ‘You have to hear us. Involve us.'”

One of the contributions she hopes to make through the Policy Advisory Stakeholders Group is helping amplify the voices of young researchers and creating more opportunities for women to participate in policy conversations.

“When you can talk in a small room with influential people, there is potential for your voice to be amplified into other bigger rooms,” she says. “It becomes a door. It becomes an opportunity.”

Vimbai with SIB Paul Marie Ange Auguste Anselme, the two newest members of the PAS-G

Beyond Zimbabwe

Joining the Collaborative’s Policy Advisory Stakeholders Group marks an important new chapter in Vimbai’s journey.

“The Collaborative’s Policy Advisory Stakeholder’s Group (PAS-G) has moved my work beyond the national level,” she says.

She hopes to contribute to a growing community of scientists and policymakers committed to strengthening evidence-informed decision-making across Africa while continuing to advocate for more efficient policy processes.

“If somebody comes up with a policy, it means a lot of work has already gone into it,” she says. “We live in a fast-moving world. It doesn’t make sense for highly qualified experts to bring forward a recommendation and then have it take an unnecessarily long time to move forward.”

Looking ahead, her ambition is clear: to help build systems where scientific evidence moves more quickly into action and where more young people and women help shape the decisions that affect millions of lives.

“What can stop me right now?” she reflects. “Nothing. I can see where I’m going. I can see what I really want to do.”

Years ago, Vimbai noticed something simple: whenever she spoke, people listened.

Today, she is using that voice for something much bigger than herself – helping ensure that when science speaks, policymakers listen too.

Every malaria statistic begins with a decision.

A decision about where limited resources should go. Which communities should receive vaccines first. Which interventions can save the greatest number of lives. And ultimately, which evidence policymakers choose to act upon.

For SIB Paul Marie Ange Auguste Anselme, these are not theoretical questions. They shape his work every day.

The scale of the challenge is staggering, with millions of malaria cases being recorded across Africa.Growing up and working in Burkina Faso, SIB has witnessed first-hand what happens when disease outpaces resources – and why good science alone is never enough. Unless evidence reaches policymakers, the people who need it most may never benefit from it.

It is this conviction that has shaped his career as a scientist and now brings him to the Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative’s Policy Advisory Stakeholders Group (PAS-G), where he joins a growing network of African researchers and policymakers working to strengthen the use of scientific evidence in decision-making across the continent.

From Research to Reality

A doctoral candidate in Medical Entomology at the Regional Institute of Health Sciences Research (IRSS/DRO) in Bobo-Dioulasso, SIB’s scientific journey spans biomedical analysis, bacteriology, virology and vector-borne disease research.

His institution’s work extends beyond malaria to include dengue fever, nutrition, sociology and infectious diseases, reflecting the interconnected nature of public health challenges. That multidisciplinary environment has shaped the way he approaches science – not as an end in itself, but as a tool for solving real-world problems.

For SIB, malaria remains one of the most urgent.

Despite decades of progress, Burkina Faso continues to carry an enormous malaria burden. In 2025 alone, the country recorded more than 10 million confirmed cases and approximately 3,500 deaths.

Behind those numbers, he sees children missing the chance to grow up healthy, families overwhelmed by illness, and a health system under constant pressure.

His team responded by strengthening prevention efforts, supporting the rollout of the new malaria vaccine and distributing long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), particularly among the youngest and most vulnerable.

“The difficult choice was on who to prioritise; who bears the heaviest burden of disease?” He says, “We decided to focus heavily on prevention – new vaccine and long-lasting insecticidal nets – for the youngest children, because they are the ones most at risk of dying if nothing is done.”

When Evidence Meets Policy

Working on the frontlines of malaria control has taught SIB that scientific evidence does not automatically become public policy. Often, the greatest challenge lies in deciding where scarce resources should be invested.

“You know, it’s really difficult to do everything at once, given the enormous challenges and the scarcity of resources,” he explains. “We can’t do everything 100 per cent at the same time.”

Those realities have reinforced an important lesson for him: policymaking is rarely about choosing between good and bad options. More often, it is about making difficult decisions with limited resources while ensuring those decisions are informed by the best available evidence.

But evidence alone is rarely enough.

Implementing change also requires trust, dialogue, and an understanding of the people expected to embrace new approaches.

“Sometimes, to implement a major reform, especially in the healthcare sector, it’s necessary not only to adopt a pedagogical approach, but also to be willing to negotiate with stakeholders whose interests are often affected,” he says.

“These innovations very often encounter resistance from certain officials who are entrenched in outdated methods, and from a segment of the population that doesn’t always immediately grasp the proposed changes.”

For SIB, successful public health programmes depend as much on listening as they do on leading. His approach is simple: build trust first, communicate clearly, and turn resistance into collaboration.

Making Science Count

Throughout his career, SIB has remained focused on ensuring research does not stop at publication. His work is driven by a desire to see scientific findings translated into programmes, interventions and policies that improve people’s lives.

“Data plays a crucial role, especially in healthcare,” he says. “It is through this data that we gain credibility with policymakers and partners.”

Reaching communities is equally important. His team complements scientific research with public engagement through symposia, open-house events, and radio and television campaigns, recognising that meaningful public health action depends on both evidence and public understanding.

A Voice for the Next Generation

SIB joined the Policy Advisory Stakeholders Group.

As one of the youngest members of the Collaborative’s Policy Advisory Stakeholders Group, SIB brings his technical expertise in malaria research, as well as practical experience navigating the complex intersection of science, implementation and policymaking.

SIB Paul Marie Ange with Vimbai Mukwekwezeke, the two newest members of the PAS-G

But working with experienced policymakers in the PAS-G, he hopes to contribute his perspectives drawn from both research and field implementation while learning alongside fellow and seasoned scientists and policymakers committed to strengthening evidence-informed decision-making across Africa.

His ambition extends beyond malaria.

He wants to see more young African scientists equipped not only to generate evidence but also to understand how policy is shaped – and how scientific voices can influence the decisions that affect millions of people.

“It is through this that, together, our voices will carry more weight and credibility with our political leaders,” he says, “leading to a better Africa, safe from all pandemics.”

For SIB, the future of public health will not be determined by science alone.

It will be shaped by the choices leaders make with that science.

And every better decision begins with evidence.