Lawrence Akunga
Dr. Lawrence Akunga is Medical Head for Sanofi Vaccines covering English-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, a position he has held since 2017. Based in Nairobi, he steers strategy, regulatory affairs, and market access for more than twenty countries, balancing science, politics, and public trust. His mandate spans childhood schedules, adult boosters, pandemic stockpiles, refugee-camp campaigns, and last-mile delivery to hard-to-reach communities.
A Kenyan-trained physician, he holds a master’s in vaccinology and public health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He previously coordinated WHO-supported Expanded Programme on Immunization drives in the Horn of Africa. At Sanofi he led the 2021-2022 launch of the company’s protein-based COVID-19 booster and brokered purchase agreements that secured twenty-five million doses for low-income nations. In 2023 he oversaw rollout of the novel nOPV2 polio vaccine and added maternal influenza shots while expanding cold-chain grants.
He chairs the Africa Vaccine Manufacturers Partnership task force on evidence generation and sits on the advisory board of the Africa CDC’s Pathogen Genomics Initiative. A sought-after speaker, he delivered the 2024 Oppenheimer Lecture on “Vaccine Sovereignty in a Multipolar World.” Beyond work he mentors young epidemiologists and runs marathons to raise funds for cold-chain electrification projects.