The HUMA Critical Policy Discussion Series

Speakers: Safura Abdool Karim, Mandipa Ndlovu and Teniola Tayo

In Episode 1 of this series we will be talking about knowledge production and circulation across borders.

More about the HUMA Critical Policy Discussion Series.

Safura Abdool Karim

Safura Abdool Karim is a public health lawyer whose research focuses on using the law to improve health outcomes. She has an LLB from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa and an LLM in Global Health Law, with a focus on public health law from Georgetown University, US. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on the developing of a human rights-based approach to the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Safura previously worked at a top 5 law firm in Sandton, South Africa and was a clerk to Justice Leona Theron at the Constitutional Court. She has also worked at notable health law organizations such Campaign for Tobacco Free-Kids and the O’Neill Institute. Safura also led the policy and legal work at PRICELESS, a research unit based at the Wits School of Public Health, South Africa, spanning topics of nutrition, diet-related NCDs, health technology assessment and COVID-19.

Safura has been involved in researching and advocating on a number of issues related to COVID-19, including equitable vaccine access, human rights and COVID-19 and criminalization of COVID-19. Safura has done extensive work on the legal issues related to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. She is a member of the Africa CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Alliance which seeks to support the rollout of a vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa and supports the Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Pillar of the Partnerships for African Vaccines Manufacturing initiative. Safura worked with the Occupational Health and Safety Workstream of the NDOH Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 to provide advice on streamlining the pricing of COVID-19 testing. Safura has provided technical support for key litigation and assisted in the development of workplace mandatory vaccination policies. Safura has written both academic papers and op-eds about key issues in the COVID-19 pandemic and presented on her research in a number of fora. 

Mandipa Ndlovo

Mandipa Ndlovu is a governance researcher and development policy analyst whose research and consultancy experience extends to working with governments, think tanks, intergovernmental organisations, as well as within academia. Currently, Mandipa is a doctoral researcher at Leiden University, Netherlands and a visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh, UK, where her research is focused on urban governance in Africa and its developmental futures. Her broader research interests and publication record cover civil-military relations, sustainable economic development, trauma and memory, post-conflict justice, and gender equity. Mandipa is a Mo Ibrahim Scholar alumna who holds an MSc in Violence, Conflict, and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), UK as well as an MPhil in Justice and Transformation from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa.

Teniola Tayo

Teniola Tayo is a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), where she works on issues relating to human security in West Africa, focusing on Nigeria. She has previously worked as a consultant with the West African Think Tank, Nextier Advisory and with the Inter-American Development Bank. She has also worked as a Senior Legislative Aide with the Nigerian Senate, where she supported the Office of the Senate President with policy research. She has a Masters degree in Development Management from the London School of Economics (LSE), UK as a Chevening scholar. Her research focuses on the security and development nexus and the policy implications of pursuing both in the West African context.