On August 20, 2025, Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) co-hosted a thematic event with Unitaid titled “Strengthening Health Systems and Advancing UHC: Japan’s Leadership in Improving Access to Medical Oxygen” during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), held in Yokohama, Kanagawa, from August 20 to 22.

Access to medical oxygen is critical for saving lives, yet it remains one of the most under-resourced areas of global health. With support from the Government of Japan, Unitaid is working to establish the first regional liquid medical oxygen production facilities in Africa, specifically in Kenya and Tanzania. Unitaid is also actively improving access to medical oxygen in humanitarian settings, particularly for infants and young children, contributing to life-saving care for newborns with respiratory distress. These efforts are playing a vital role in strengthening health systems in a sustainable way.

At this event, we discussed the strengthening of health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the future of expanding sustainable access to medical oxygen across Africa. The discussion included public-private technical cooperation between Unitaid and Japanese companies, as well as dialogues with local stakeholders, industry representatives, developers of medical oxygen equipment for infants and young children, and representatives from international organizations.

Key discussion points included the following:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that a stable supply of medical oxygen is indispensable for maintaining and improving public health, and for preparing for future pandemics.
• Collaboration among international organizations such as Unitaid, national governments, and civil society organizations is essential to strengthening Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
• Unitaid promotes innovation in access to medicines, medical products, and medical devices. By supporting mechanisms to deliver essential healthcare products at affordable prices, stimulating demand and fostering a market environment that encourages private sector participation and supply, Unitaid contributes to establishing sustainable demand and supply systems.
• Public–Private Partnerships (PPP) play a critical role in strengthening health systems over the long term by securing sustainable financing and stabilizing supply chains. They also expand business opportunities for private companies, ultimately creating lasting value for both society and the economy.
• The development of medicines and medical products tailored to the environments and price ranges of different countries and regions is indispensable for building sustainable healthcare systems. The development of portable medical oxygen devices for infants and young children that do not require electricityserves as an important example, demonstrating that initiatives aligned with local needs can make significant, sustainable contributions to maintaining and improving public health.

[Event Details]

• Date & Time: Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 10:00-11:30 JST
• Format: In-Person
• Venue: PACIFICO Yokohama, Exhibition Hall D S-08
  (1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan)
• Language: Japanese and English, with simultaneous interpretation
• Capacity: 150 people
• Organized by: Unitaid and Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)

For the guidebook of TICAD9, click here

 

[Program]

10:00-10:05 Introduction by Moderator

10:05-10:15 Opening Remarks

Yosuke Kita (Director, Global Health Strategy Division, International Cooperation Bureau Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 
Philippe Duneton (Executive Director, Unitaid)

10:15-10:25 “A breath of hope” – Film from the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya

   Video message from Berard Olayo, Founder of Hewatele Ltd., Kenya

10:25-11:10 Panel discussion

Panelist
Philippe Duneton (Executive Director, Unitaid)
Kenji Saito (Director and Managing, Executive Officer, Head of the Industrial Division, Head of the Industrial Business Division, Nikkiso Co. Ltd)
Thomas Burke (Founder, Vayu Global Health Innovations)
Gerald Macharia (Vice President of East and Southern Africa, Clinton Health Access Initiative)
Maurine Murenga (Affected Communities Delegation Representative of Unitaid & Executive Director, Lean on Me Foundation)

Moderator
Ryoji Noritake (Chair, Health and Global Policy Institute)

11:10-11:20 Q&A Session

11:20-11:30 Closing remarks and call to Action

Yvonne Chaka Chaka (President of the Princess of Africa Foundation)

 

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[Speakers Profile]

Yosuke Kita （Director, Global Health Strategy Division, International Cooperation Bureau Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 
Before joining MOFA, Dr. Kita worked extensively within Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), contributing to HIV/AIDS initiatives, revisions of the Immunization Act, and reforms to the long-term care insurance system. From 2009 to 2011, he was seconded to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where he managed malaria control strategies. He also gained local governance experience through a secondment to a Japanese local government. In 2019, Dr. Kita became Director of the Office for Global Strategy of Medical Service and Health Industry at MHLW, playing a key role in handling the 2020 “Diamond Princess” cruise ship response for Covid-19. Subsequently, he served as Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, facilitating critical UN General Assembly High-Level Meetings on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPR) in 2023. He also acted as Vice-Chair of the 57th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development. Dr. Kita holds a medical degree and two master’s degrees—one in public health from Yale University and another in public administration from Harvard University.

Philippe Duneton (Executive Director, Unitaid)
A French national, Philippe has more than 25 years’ experience in the fields of HIV/AIDS, infectious and tropical diseases and public health. Philippe has been at Unitaid since its creation in 2006. As Executive Director a.i, he has led Unitaid’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a vital role as the co-lead of the therapeutics arm of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator. Previously, he was a practicing doctor at Hospital “La Pitié Salpétrière” in Paris (Infections Diseases Department) and was twice advisor to the French Ministry of Health under Minister Bernard Kouchner. He was the head of the Mission against HIV/AIDS and harm reduction for l’Assistance publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and led the French regulatory agency for medicines and health products. He also chaired the Board of the European Medicines Agency. Philippe holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and is a Medical Doctor.

Kenji Saito (Director and Managing, Executive Officer, Head of the Industrial Division, Head of the Industrial Business Division, Nikkiso Co. Ltd)
Mr. Kenji Saito, Director, Managing Executive Officer at Nikkiso Co., Ltd., has been driving the global expansion of the company’s Industrial Business Unit by leveraging his extensive experience and expertise gained through a career primarily in international finance for more than 30 years. He began his professional journey in 1988 at The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank LTD, (now Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.), where he held prominent roles including General Manager, Paris Branch, Mizuho Bank, Ltd. and Chief Executive Officer, Mizuho Bank Europe N.V.. In 2020, Mr. Saito joined Nikkiso Co., Ltd., where he was initially responsible for business and sales strategies in Aerospace Division. In 2022, he was appointed Director and Head of Aerospace Division, where he led efforts to develop new business opportunities such as eVTOL, utilizing technologies cultivated through aircraft component manufacturing. Currently, he is in charge of Industrial Division and Aerospace Division as Head of Industrial Business Unit to build a low/decarbonization-field business portfolio leveraging cryogenic technology as a competitive advantage, expand industrial gas business including medical oxygen, strengthen the structure of both divisions and promote improvement of revenue structure.

Thomas Burke (Founder, Vayu Global Health Innovations)
Thomas F. Burke, MD, FACEP, FRSM is Director of the Global Health Innovation Lab at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and senior faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Burke’s has pioneered numerous award-winning scientific advances and thereafter translated them into policy and practice. Dr. Burke’s focus is primarily on maternal, newborn, and infant survival, and he has authored of over 140 scientific manuscripts and two books. On June 3, 2019, in a joint UK and India government ceremony in the House of Lords, Dr. Burke was bestowed the title, “Lord of the Planet in Medical Sciences”. Dr. Burke has been profiled for his work by BBC, NPR, FOX Television, ABC, CBS, the London Financial Times, the New Yorker, the Seattle Times, and the Boston Globe, among other news outlets. Dr. Burke is President of Vayu Global Health, which works closely with Unitaid, Grand Challenges Canada, the Gates Foundation, and the Japanese government among others, in over 38 countries.

Gerald Macharia (Vice President of East and Southern Africa, Clinton Health Access Initiative)
Gerald Macharia serves as the Vice President for East & Southern Africa for the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), with responsibility for 14 countries in this region. In this role, he works closely with the various Governments’ Ministries of Health to design, fund and execute public health programs that drive impactful results. As a member of CHAI’s global leadership team, he brings to these countries, CHAI’s well known track record in creating change making global health solutions that have saved millions of lives over the years. He started his career in marketing management and worked for a number of multi-national corporations including Colgate-Palmolive, before taking up the CEO position at Faulu Microfinance Bank, one of Kenya’s largest Microfinance Banks. He earned his undergraduate degree from Kenyatta University and holds a post-graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing of the UK, an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School and an MBA from Kenya’s Moi University Business School. He is also a Commonwealth Scholar in Corporate Planning & Strategy and an alumnus of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business program on Strategy and Organization. He has also served in various public sector governance roles in his country Kenya and currently sits on the Board of Kenya’s Social Health Authority (SHA) where he also chairs the Finance Committee.

Maurine Murenga (Affected Communities Delegation Representative of Unitaid & Executive Director, Lean on Me Foundation)
Maurine Murenga is a passionate advocate for the health, development and human rights of women and children. With a background on Program Management and Community Development, She is a two-time award winner namely “The Unsung Hero Award” from US Embassy and from East Africa Community Service Award for her work with women and children. Maurine’s passion for advocacy is driven by her lived experience, and the inequality and vulnerability that young women and adolescent girls experience in her community. In response to these challenges – she founded the Lean on Me Foundation – an organization that supports access to health services for young women and children. Maurine is currently the focal point of the communities delegation to the board of the Global Fund; the coordinator of TB Women Global, Board Member Friend of the Global Fight US and EGPAF Kenya. She is a former board member of the Global Fund to fight AIDS,TB and Malaria; She is also a member of WHO’s Global Accelerator for Pediatric Formulations Advisory and Union Working Group Gender Equity in TB. In Kenya – Maurine is the Vice Chair of the Global Fund’s Country Coordinating Mechanism and Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV Committee of Experts.

Ryoji Noritake (Chair, Health and Global Policy Institute)
Mr. Ryoji Noritake is the Chair of Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), a Tokyo-based independent and non-profit health policy think tank established in 2004. He also served as Asia-Pacific Lead for Project HOPE, a US-based medical humanitarian aid organization. Through HOPE and HGPI, he has led health system strengthening projects in the Asia-Pacific region and engaged in the US Navy’s medical humanitarian projects. His focus is a multi-sectoral approach to health issues such as public-private partnerships and civil-military coordination. He was a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Policy Discussion Roundtable for Super Ageing Society (2018) and served as a Visiting Scholar at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (2016-2020). He is currently serving as a member of World Dementia Council (WDC), the Salzburg Global Seminar’s Advisory Council, Advisory Board Member of Elsevier Atlas, and the Dementia Innovation Alliance hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan. He was awarded the 32nd Takemi Incentive Award in 2022. He is a graduate of Keio University’s Faculty of Policy Management and holds a MSc in Medical Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.