Paulyne Wairimu is a leader in global health diplomacy, representing Africa’s interests on the international stage. In her role as Chair of the African Medical Devices Forum, she has helped African countries coordinate their medical regulations and influence global health decisions through high-level negotiations. With an Executive Master in International Relations from the Graduate Institute, Paulyne has strengthened her skills in advocacy, negotiation, and consensus-building. In this interview, she shares her career journey, key lessons, and advice for aspiring global health professionals.
My passion for global health was ignited on the floor of the World Health Assembly, where I served as a delegate for Kenya. Representing my nation on issues such as access to medicines and drafting health resolutions, I sat alongside seasoned diplomats and witnessed firsthand the high-stakes negotiations over national interests. It was in those rooms that I had a pivotal realisation: while I understood the health challenges, I needed a deeper mastery of the systems designed to solve them—the global health architecture, the legal instruments, and the nuanced art of diplomacy itself.
This drive to move from participant to architect was further solidified in my current role as Chair of the African Medical Devices Forum. Leading a continent-wide effort to fortify regulatory systems, I see daily how neglected health commodities impact our health security, and how continental policy must be informed by effective global engagement.
This is precisely why I pursued the Executive Master in International Relations. I was eager to systematically unpack the craft of policy writing, learn how global treaties are designed and negotiated, and participate in real-world case studies on diplomatic consensus-building. My goal is to bridge the gap between Geneva and Nairobi, equipping myself with the skills not just to present Africa’s case at the highest levels, but to actively shape the policies that determine our health future.
One of the most challenging and rewarding projects of my career has been my ongoing role as Chair of the African Medical Devices Forum (AMDF). The challenge is monumental: the African continent bears 25% of the global disease burden, yet its health systems are often strained and under-resourced. Within this, the specific area of medical devices and diagnostics—the very tools essential for diagnosis, treatment, and disease surveillance—has been historically neglected, creating a critical gap in our health security architecture.
My mission has been to advance regulatory harmonisation across the continent—a complex task given the diverse regulatory landscapes of 55 AU Member States. A pivotal moment in this journey was convening and hosting a workshop in Nairobi in 2023, led by the US-FDA and facilitated by TGA-Australia, HSA – Singapore, Medical Technology Industry players and in partnership with the then USAID programme as a funder, and bringing together regulatory authorities from across Africa with more than 200 participants.
The reward, which I consider a significant career milestone, is the tangible outcome of that collaboration. As a direct result of those discussions, we have successfully supported ten African countries in gaining affiliation with the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF). This moves them from isolated, national standards into the fold of global best practices, accelerating access to safe and effective medical technologies. I continue to witness how this impactful workshop translated African regulatory authorities towards becoming global affiliate members, and thus a step forward towards regulatory convergence for the African continent.
Another very rewarding experience has been the drafting of the African Union Model Law (AU-Model Law). The historical reason for the fragmentation of health systems has been the lack of legislative frameworks to uphold laws governing access and to set limits on what cannot be accepted. I remember during the drafting and negotiations for the AU Model law, the addition of medical devices and diagnostics in the legal architecture was very fulfilling. Especially so, in the current context of the use of Artificial Intelligence, which is prominently used in medical technologies and now diagnostics.
The Executive Master in International Relations at the Graduate Institute was a transformative experience that fundamentally reshaped my approach to global health policy and diplomacy. It moved me from being a technical expert to a more strategic, nuanced practitioner. I can distil my key takeaways into three core areas that I apply daily in my work.
1. The Strategic Art of Narrative and Authentic Communication:
The programme emphasised that data informs, but stories persuade. I learned to move beyond simply presenting facts to crafting a compelling narrative that frames the problem and makes the desired policy action inevitable. This includes the critical skill of ‘reading the room’—assessing the non-verbal cues and dynamics of an audience to tailor my delivery in real time. Most importantly, I learned the power of owning my authentic voice and experiences. For instance, when advocating for regulatory harmonisation, I now weave in personal anecdotes from the field about the human cost of diagnostic delays, which resonates far more deeply than a slide full of statistics alone. This authenticity builds trust and makes the message unforgettable.
2. Interest-Based Negotiation and the Spectrum of Outcomes:
My approach to negotiation was fundamentally refined. I moved from a positional bargaining mindset to an interest-based negotiation framework. I now understand that every party seeks to advance underlying interests that are often unstated. My first step in any complex discussion, whether with a partner agency or a member state, is to diligently seek to understand their core desires and constraints. This has taught me that a ‘compromise’ is not a failure but a strategic position on a spectrum of possible outcomes. This open-minded, diagnostic approach has led to surprising and innovative solutions, such as a phased implementation plan for a new regulatory standard that accommodated countries at different starting points, achieving a goal that initially seemed unattainable through rigid demands.
3. Navigating Cultural Pluralism for Continental Consensus:
The programme provided me with a sophisticated toolkit for operating in Africa’s multilingual and multicultural landscape. I now see the linguistic divides—Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone, and Arabic-speaking—not as barriers, but as representations of distinct historical and cultural contexts that must be acknowledged and respected. The skills in cross-cultural communication I gained are instrumental in building the cohesiveness necessary to negotiate a common position for 55 AU member states. For example, I am now more deliberate in ensuring that meeting formats and document translations are equitable, and I proactively create space for different communication styles, ensuring no bloc feels marginalised. This fosters a sense of shared ownership that is critical for durable agreements.
In essence, the Graduate Institute equipped me not only with theories but also with a practical and empathetic skillset. It has enabled me to be a more effective bridge-builder, translating continental health priorities into actionable policy by mastering the human and strategic dimensions of international relations.
Looking ahead, my central goal in global health diplomacy is to champion a proactive and equitable model of global health security, anchored in resilient African health systems. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the dire cost of reactive preparedness; my focus is therefore on shifting the paradigm from response to prevention. This requires building systems that can prevent, identify, and contain health crises at the national and regional levels before they escalate into global threats.
A critical pillar of this resilience is access to essential medical technologies, particularly diagnostics. My objective is to act as a strategic convener and negotiator, bridging African governments, the global medical technology industry, pharmaceutical developers, and donors. By fostering these product development partnerships, we can catalyse the creation of solutions that are not only effective but also accessible and tailored to the African context, ensuring we are not left scrambling during the next pandemic.
The continent has already laid the foundational stone for this vision with the fully operational African Medicines Agency (AMA). This represents a monumental leap towards regulatory harmonisation. My evolving role is to leverage this continental infrastructure by negotiating international agreements, aligning global standards with African priorities, and channelling investment and partnership into the AMA framework. I will work to ensure it becomes the empowered, single voice for medical product regulation it is designed to be.
Ultimately, my role on the international stage is evolving from a representative of a specific forum to a broader advocate and architect of collaborative security. Armed with the advanced skills in negotiation and policy design from the Graduate Institute, I am positioned to translate the principle of ‘health as a shared global responsibility’ into concrete action. My mission is to ensure that the African continent is not merely a participant in global health governance, but a co-author of its future, building a world where health security is a reality for all, starting from the local level up.
My journey, from the World Health Assembly to leading the African Medical Devices Forum, has taught me that technical expertise is merely the price of entry. The true differentiators are the human and strategic skills.
I would prioritise three:
The Discipline of an Open Mind: As one of my professors aptly stated, this is your greatest asset. In practice, this means cognitive flexibility—the ability to listen actively, absorb new information, and pivot your strategy without abandoning your core interests. It’s the antidote to rigid, zero-sum thinking.
Deep Cultural and Contextual Intelligence: This moves beyond simple etiquette. It’s the proactive work of understanding the historical, political, and social forces that shape your counterpart’s mandate. Whether it’s a nuanced understanding of the Francophone-Anglophone dynamic in Africa or the social expectations of a partner, this intelligence builds the rapport and trust that is the currency of all successful diplomacy.
The Principle of Shared Solution-Seeking: High-pressure environments breed suspicion. The critical skill is to maintain the conviction that the person opposite you is also under pressure to find a resolution. This empathic assumption allows you to reframe challenges as shared problems to be solved collaboratively, often leading to more creative and sustainable outcomes than anyone could have initially foreseen.
Ultimately, success isn’t just about defending a position, but about building the bridges—intellectual, cultural, and human—that make progress possible. I am committed to continuing to hone these very skills in a role like this.
