24 May 2022

TIME, an American news magazine,  has named Dr Sikhulile Moyo to the 2022 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

According to a Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership (BHP) media release, this is in recognition of Dr Moyo’s role in the discovery of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Dr Moyo, who is the BHP research laboratory director,  together with Stellenbosch University and University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Professor Tulio de Oliviera and their colleague, are jointly credited with the discovery of the B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 variant, subsequently named Omicron by WHO.

The release notes that Omicron and its subvariants have become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants causing COVID-19 globally.

“This discovery demonstrates the potential to leverage existing local human and infrastructural capacity to participate in cutting-edge scientific pursuits for the benefit of local, regional and global scientific public health advances,” says BHP chief executive officer Dr Joseph Makhema.

The release also quotes Ministry of Health permanent secretary Ms Grace Muzila  as saying;  

“We regard this recognition of one of our own, as a vote of confidence in the quality of scientific expertise that reside in our country. It is a true demonstration that Botswana can be counted amongst a league of countries that have developed the requisite scientific knowledge and infrastructure that can help us and the world, to respond to current and future health challenges.”

Dr Moyo has served as co-scientific scientist to the  Presidential COVID-19 Task Force, working closely with the National Public Health Laboratory as well as the health ministry on the COVID-19 response.

“It is gratifying to see the scientific contribution made by Dr Moyo recognised in this manner.

He provided an early warning to the world about Omicron and we all owe a debt to him and to his team of dedicated scientists in Botswana,” says Dr. Roger Shapiro, associate professor of immunology and infectious diseases at

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) and BHP board of directors chair.

 Dr Shahin Lockman of HSPH, BHP and Brigham and Women’s Hospital adds; “The early discovery of the Omicron variant by Dr. Moyo and colleagues is one example of the critical importance of sustained support of African scientists”.

The TIME100 list, now in its 19th year, recognises the impact, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals.

The full list and related tributes will appear in the June 6 / June 13 double issue of TIME, available now at time.com/time100 and on newsstands on Friday.

Established in 1996, BHP  is a health research and training collaboration between government and HSPH.

BHP is a world-renowned institution whose mission is to fight HIV/AIDS and emerging public health challenges through innovative research, education, and capacity building that impact policy and practice.Ends