Researchers argue that falling Official Development Assistance and a heavy disease burden have made regional control of health research and development essential for Africa. The continent carries a quarter of the world’s disease burden while contributing less than one per cent to global health expenditure. Strengthening RD&I is presented as both a technical necessity for pandemic preparedness and an engine for economic growth, regional integration and long-term health security under African leadership.
African institutions are building capacity in vaccine manufacture and genomic surveillance. The Institut Pasteur of Dakar has broken ground on a manufacturing complex with capacity for 300 million doses a year. South African firms such as Biovac and Afrigen are advancing vaccine innovation and the development and transfer of mRNA technology, and organisations in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa support real-time detection of new virus variants. Despite these advances, a trust deficit toward locally developed products can limit uptake and market access.
At the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Lusaka, delegates urged reductions in dependence on external finance and framed health RD&I as a pillar of trade and industry. Researchers call for concrete policy steps: finance the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, accelerate the operationalisation of the African Medicines Agency, and ensure the African Continental Free Trade Area advances policies on intellectual property, digital trade and investment incentives to open regional markets.
The piece was written by representatives of the African Voices of Science: Ntobeko Ntusi, Glaudina Loots, Johnpaul Omollo and Moussa Sarr. African Voices of Science is an initiative led by Speak Up Africa, a Senegal‑based organisation, and the article was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub‑Saharan Africa English desk.
Difficult words
- burden — amount of disease or health problems a population faces
- expenditure — money spent on health or related activities
- operationalisation — making a plan or policy work in practice
- surveillance — systematic monitoring and detection of diseases
- capacity — ability or resources to do a particular task
- incentive — a reward or advantage to encourage investmentincentives
- uptake — the rate at which people use something
- integration — process of joining or combining regions or systems
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might strengthening regional research and development support economic growth and long-term health security in Africa?
- What challenges could make it difficult for African institutions to reduce dependence on external finance?
- What steps could increase public trust in locally developed health products and improve market access?
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