Biography

Nyiko Kubai is a young, dedicated advocate from South Africa. As a passionate and driven advocate, Nyiko is committed to promoting the rights and wellbeing of young people living with HIV and those affected. With a strong background in advocacy and community engagement, Nyiko has established himself as a leader in the field of HIV/AIDS treatment optimization; treatment access, options, and improved diagnostics. His background and lived experiences inspire him to strongly advocate for long-acting solutions, and friendly formulations to improve the standards of care in LMICs, especially for young Key populations.

Nyiko was appointed as a Community Advisory Board member of Afrocab, where he leads a technical team of young leaders under the optimal project to advance the quality of HIV/AIDS treatment and CAB long-acting injectable for prevention and diagnostics in South Africa. He is also an active member of the Y+ Network in South Africa, where he is standing as an advocacy officer on HIV/AIDS commodities and SRH-R.

Currently, as a country CAB member for the THRIVE project, Transforming Advanced HIV Disease caRe in LMICs through the ComprehensiVe and Equitable Access (THRIVE) project, the project is leading a regional community response to dramatically reduce mortality among children, adolescents, and adults with advanced HIV diseases.

Leading South Africa TB Vaccine Preparedness work as a Regional Community Advisory Board member for the Welcome Trust project. Also working as a Community Technical Advisor under the TB-DASH project, about developing a global framework to enhance demand, access, and seeking of TB-related healthcare services, within UCSF’s center for disease.

Volunteering as a Youth Operations Manager for Tholulwazi Phakathi, a non-profit organization that offers enhanced psychosocial support to young people living with HIV and those affected, Nyiko focuses on advocacy, content, and program development.

As part of Treatment Optimization advocacy, he is actively coordinating and facilitating regional to in-country civil society and community capacity-building initiatives to generate demand, preparation, and access to new optimal solutions like the (Cabotegravir CAB-LA and Lenacapavir PreP ) that will soon enter the market. By strengthening literacy and fostering locally developed solutions as game-changing tools that should change access and respond to the needs of the community.

He is a member of the Youth Reference Group for the International HIV and Adolescents Workshop as well as the previous local co-chair, championing the Young People’s Lusaka Declaration for accelerated access to long-acting antiviral drugs for both the prevention and treatment of HIV. Nyiko is also part of the Eastern and Southern Africa youth-led HIV and SRHR UNITED! Movement.