Vanessa currently leads the work on regulatory and policy reforms under the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation Programme at AUDA-NEPAD, primarily focusing on coordinating and facilitating the development and implementation of legislative frameworks that enable African Union member States to effectively and efficiently regulate medical products. She has over 12 years of experience in policy advocacy and communication as well in project and grants management in various sectors including health.  She holds and Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Sociology from the University of Zimbabwe, a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health from the University of Pretoria and she is a certified PRINCE 2 project manager.