
Rays of Hope Forum - Programme
30 June–1 July 2025, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Programme
Day 1 - Monday
Location: African Union Headquarters, Medium Conference Hall 1
Masters of Ceremonies:
Mr Lelisa Amanuel Jira, Senior Advisor to the State Minister, Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
Mr Kunuz Abdella Abdi, Technical Advisor, Cancer Control, Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
09:30 – 10:00 | Welcome Coffee
?
10:00 – 12:00?|
Moderator: Ms Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, Director of the Office of Public Information and Communication, IAEA
- 10:00 – 10:25?| Opening Session
Viewing of Rays of Hope video
Welcoming remarks by?HE Ms Mekdes Daba Feyssa, Minister of Public Health of Ethiopia
Opening statement by?Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency
Remarks by HE Amb. Mohamed Al- Amine Souef, Chief of Staff, Cabinet of the Chairperson, African Union
Remarks by HE Mr Temesgen Tiruneh, Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia
- 10:35?– 11:15 | Rays of Hope – perspective from Recipient Member States
HE Mr Benjamin Hounkpatin, Minister of Health, Benin
HE Mr Gilbert Kabanda Kurhenga, Minister of Scientific Research and Technology, Innovation of the Democratic Republic of Congo
HE Mr Selibe Mochoboroane,?Minister of Health of Lesotho
HE Mr lbrahima Sy, Minister of Health and Social Action of Senegal
HE Mr Lawrence Ookeditse, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health, Botswana
HE Mr Fredrick Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health, Kenya
?
11:15 – 12:00 | Rays of Hope Donor Member States
HE Mr Jens Hanefeld, Ambassador of Germany to Ethiopia and Permanent Observer to the African Union in Ethiopia
HE Mr Maurizio Busanelli, Permanent Representative of Italy to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Ethiopia
HE Mr Tsutomu Nakagawa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the African Union in Ethiopia
Mr Julien Voituriez, First Counsellor, Embassy of France to Ethiopia and to the African Union
Launch of partnership with St Jude
Mr Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, Executive Vice-President Director, St. Jude Global, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
?
12:00 – 12:30 | Ethiopia’s journey to improved cancer care?
Presentation by HE Mr Dereje Duguma Gemeda, State Minister for Programs, Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
?
12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch Break
?
14:00 – 15:00 | Partnership for Hope?
Moderator: Ms Lisa Stevens, Director of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department ?
Mr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Vice President of Investment Solutions, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (video message)
Mr Luca Ferro, Charge d’affairs and attaché political and consular affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium to Ethiopia, Djibouti & African Union
Mr Chris Bonnet, General Manager – Strategic Projects & Government Growth, GE Healthcare
Ms Leyla Traoré, Head of Representation to Ethiopia and the African Union, European Investment Bank
Mr Kevin Massoudi, Vice President & Head of Public Sector Engagement, MEA, Siemens Healthineers
Mr Takuma Otsuka, Head of Global Marketing and Global Health, Modality Solution Division, Medical Systems Business Division, FujiFilm
?
15:00 – 16:00 |?Working together for sustainable and quality cancer management with Anchor Centres
Presentation by: Ms?May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the Division of Human Health, IAEA Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications?followed by a panel
Ms Kathleen Schmeler, Associate Vice President, Global Oncology, Division of Cancer Network, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (video message)
Ms Sadaf Tufail Butt, Radiologist and Nuclear Physician, Nuclear Medicine, Oncology & Radiotherapy Institute (AECH-NORI), Anchor Centre, Pakistan
Mr Luis Rovere, Vice President Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA)
Mr Lachgar Amine, Radiation Oncologist, National Institute of Oncology (INO), Anchor Centre, Morocco
Mr Mike Sathekge, Professor and Head of Nuclear Medicine Department at University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital Anchor Centre, South Africa
Mr Amine Habouchi, Head of Radiology Department at CHU Bab El Oued, Anchor Centre, Algeria
Mr Vedang Murthy, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Anchor Centre, India
Ms Shivani Tyagi, Public Affairs and Market Development Manager, Elekta
HE Mr Shaukat Abdulrazak, Principal Secretary, Science, Research and Innovation, Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary, Kenya
?
16:00 – 16:45 |?Financing for Care
Moderator: Lisa Stevens, Director of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department ?
Ms Olukemi Afun-Ogidan, Country Manager, Public Sector Operations for OPEC Fund for International Development
Mr Tolulope Adewole,?CEO, Medserv
Mr Mayank Anand, Head of Non-Communicable Diseases and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, MedAccess
Ms Fatima Haggar, Head, National Cancer Control Program, Chad
HE Mr Shaukat Abdulrazak, Principal Secretary, Science, Research and Innovation, Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary, Kenya
Mr Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro, Professor, University of Indonesia
Mr Steve Muanza, Commissioner General for Atomic Energy, Democratic Republic of Congo
?
17:30 – 20:30 |?Guided Visit of the National Palace (Jubilee Palace) followed by a reception dinner hosted by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia
Day 2 - Tuesday
Location: African Union Headquarters
09:00 – 09:30 | Welcome coffee
?
09:30 – 10:30 |?Rays of Hope in Africa
Moderator: Mr?Gashaw Gebeyehu Wolde, acting Director of the Division for Africa, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department ?
Ms Fatima Haggar, Director, National Cancer Control Program (NCCP), Ministry of Health of Chad
Mr Elias Melly Kipchumba, Chief Executive Officer, National Cancer Institute of Kenya (NCIK), Ministry of Health of Kenya
Mr Steve Muanza Kamunga, Commissioner General for Atomic Energy (CGEA), Democratic Republic of Congo
Ms Ndeye Yacine Dieng, Head Cancer Office Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health and Social Action of Senegal
Mr Malam Mustapha, Secretary General, High Authority of Atomic Energy of Niger (HANEA)
Ms Kabelo Mputsoe, Clinical Radiation Oncologist, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Lesotho
Ms Tlotlo Ralefala, Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Princess Marina Hospital, Botswana
Ms Hiwot Solomon, Lead Executive Officer, Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
?
10:30 – 11:30 |?Rays of Hope in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Moderator:?Mr?Luis Longoria, Director of the Division for Latin America and the Caribbean, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department
Mr Luis Rovere, Vice-President, National Atomic Energy Institute, Anchor Centre, Argentina
Mr Ariel Fari?a, Coordinator Master Programme, Fundación Arturo López Pérez (FALP), Chile
Mr Daniel Brizuela, Head of the Technical Project Unit, Ministry of Health of Honduras
Mr Mitchell Fitzgerald, CEO Nuclear medicine Unit, University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica
Mr Jose Ortiz, Surgery Oncologist and Hospital Director, State Cancer Centre Veracruz Dr. Miguel Dorantes Mesa (CECAN), Mexico
Mr Victor Palacios, Advisor to the Special Commission for the Prevention, Monitoring, and Control of Cancer of the National Congress, Peru
?
11:30 – 13:00 |?Lunch Break
?
13:00 – 13:30 | Rays of Hope in Europe
Moderator: Ms Mayumi Yamamoto, Program Management Officer, Division for Europe, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department
Mr Ivan Lasic, Director of State Regulatory Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ms Dilyara Kaidarova, Chairman of the Board, Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology, Kazakhstan
Mr Olimjon Azizov, Head of Management, Public and International Relations Department, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Safety and Security Agency, Tajikistan
Ms Deniz Yalman, Professor and Head of the Department. Ege University, Izmir, Anchor Centre Representative, Türkiye
?
13:30 – 14:30 | Rays of Hope in Asia and the Pacific
Moderator: Ms?Kimberley Frolov-Roessler, Program Management Officer, Division for Asia and the Pacific, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department
Remarks from HE Chheang Ra, Minister of Health, Cambodia (video message)
HE Mr Peter Hunter, Ambassador of Australia to Ethiopia, South Sudan, Djibouti, the Central African Republic, the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Ethiopia, Embassy of Australia
Mr Manduul Enkhjargal, Nuclear Medicine physician, Nuclear Medicine Center, Second State Central Hospital of Mongolia
Ms Sadaf Tufail Butt, Radiologist and Nuclear Physician, Nuclear Medicine, Oncology & Radiotherapy Institute (AECH-NORI), Anchor Centre Pakistan
Mr Kanchan P. Adhikari, Professor, Medical Physics / Radiation Safety Officer, National Academy of Medical Sciences, Bir Hospital, President of Nepalese Association of Medical Physicist, Nepal
Mr Krisanat Chuamsaamarkkee, Lecturer, Medical Physicist, Anchor Centre Representative of Thailand
?
14:30 – 15:00 | Coffee Break
?
15:00 – 16:00 | Rays of Hope and Breast Cancer
Moderator: Ms?Lisa Stevens, Director of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department ?
Ms Sewera Deju, Breast cancer survivor and member of Nigat Breast Cancer Support Group, advocate and counsellor
Mr Luis Longoria, Director of the Division for Latin America and the Caribbean, International Atomic Energy Agency
Mr Ignatius Abowini Nchor, Chief Program Officer, Ministry of Health, Ghana
Ms Miriam Mutebi, President, African Organization for Research and training in Cancer (AORTIC)
Ms Susannah Stanway, Co-convenor London Global Cancer Week
?
16:00 – 16:30 |?Closing Remarks by Mr Gashaw Gebeyehu Wolde, acting Director of the Division for Africa, IAEA Technical Cooperation Department and Honorable Tagesse Chafo, Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives of Ethiopia.
?