Dr. Wesley Ronoh
Dr. Wesley Ronoh is a distinguished Pharmaceutical Sector Development Expert with over 25 years of experience advancing access to quality-assured medicines and vaccines across Africa. He currently serves as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Biovax Institute, where he oversees the Institute’s mission to build a sustainable, innovative, and globally competitive biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem in Kenya. In this role, Dr. Ronoh provides strategic leadership across vaccine and biologics manufacturing, ensuring BioVax contributes meaningfully to the country’s health resilience and to Africa’s goal of producing 60% of its vaccine needs by 2040.
Prior to joining BioVax, Dr. Ronoh led the Market Design and Demand Intelligence Bold Programme at the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) under the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). His work focused on shaping the market architecture for African-made vaccines, strengthening demand predictability, developing route-to-market pathways, and designing the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM).
Wesley has worked extensively at the interface of health, trade, and industry, merging public health priorities, industrial policy, and continental trade frameworks to expand sustainable access to essential health products. He has been part of multi-country and multi-partner initiatives across Africa, contributing to programmes that integrate regulatory harmonization, market shaping, industrialization, and regional manufacturing strategies. His work reflects a deep understanding of how aligning health, trade, and industrial policies creates stronger, more resilient health product ecosystems across the continent.
Wesley previously served as a GIZ senior technical advisor and held leadership roles within EU and GIZ-supported pharmaceutical sector programmes at both the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He has also consulted widely for institutions such as the African Development Bank, COMESA, UNCTAD, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, supporting regional pharmaceutical sector policy reform, strategies, and market development.
Wesley has been a Research Fellow at the Sarah Rothman Centre for Global Health, University of Toronto, focusing on health innovation, technology development, and access to medicines in low and middle-income countries. He holds a Master of Science in Medicinal Chemistry from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and a Bachelor of Pharmacy, both from the University of Nairobi.
His areas of expertise span Life Sciences Product Development, Market Shaping, and Technology Transfer and International Development Cooperation. Wesley has contributed to foundational studies on Health Product Innovation Systems and Commercialization in Sub-Saharan Africa and continues to play an influential role in strengthening Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing landscape.
Beyond his executive and advisory roles, Wesley has been an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Nairobi’s Faculty of Pharmacy, an Adjunct Faculty Member in Bio-Entrepreneurship at Strathmore University Business School, and an Advisory Board Member at Villgro Africa, an incubator and impact investor.
