Oliver Kanene

Oliver is the Executive Director at Business for Social Change (BfSC), Zambia. He came to the Fellows program with a wealth of experience as a journalist and development worker with experience in HIV prevention activities. Since 1986, he has used his extensive experience in media and communications to work towards confronting the stigma around HIV/AIDS on many fronts. With support from local and international organizations, he started a newspaper, AIDS & Health News. He has worked with several local, regional and international organisations, including the Zambia Institute of Mass Communications (ZAMCOM) and John Snow Training Institute and Concern Worldwide, among others. Oliver holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree from the University of Tampere in Finland.

Fellowship Focus
Oliver used his extensive media and HIV/AIDS experience to build a cadre of journalists who consistently, accurately and responsibly report on HIV prevention research in Zambia. He also worked toward creating linkages between researchers, civil society and media, thereby contributing to a favorable HIV prevention research environment. He used the MDP 301 trial process as a case study.

In Their Own Words
Science is worthless if it is not shared with people, but sharing can only happen if the media first understand the processes involved.