Africa’s role in shaping global, inclusive health research is ever more important as the world looks to chart a new course
By Akin Jimoh, Chief Editor at Nature Africa
The Inclusive Health Research Awards (IHRA) hosted by Nature Awards coming to Africa, for the first time this October, at Stellenbosch University is a significant milestone for the continent. It recognises the continent’s growing role in global, inclusive health research and offers a platform to highlight innovative solutions and foster collaboration.
The event presents an opportunity to spotlight Africa’s successes in science, health research, and particularly the lessons learnt in our response to COVID-19, and other infectious diseases showing the continent’s ability to coordinate and innovate in healthcare. And critically the importance of equitable collaboration between researchers and subjects, as seen in HIV/AIDS research.
By hosting the IHRA, Africa could gain the necessary spotlight to advance homegrown solutions and some level of self-sufficiency in healthcare. It is a platform for us to promote and facilitate the agenda for an integrated working approach between the Global North and within the Global South.
African researchers are innovators, and the conference and awards ceremony provide a platform to bring our voices to the global village square. It is an opportunity to spotlight and display innovative research and health initiatives that involve close collaboration with patients, originated here on the continent, which should prove our capabilities to the global health science and economic communities. Spotlighting the work of African scientists and innovators is also what Nature Africa does every day with its coverage.
In driving the global healthcare discourse, one could simply look at the local events of COVID19, where several solutions were generated locally amidst doubts and fears that the pandemic would decimate the continent.
The continent’s well-coordinated and collaborative approach to confronting the virus is indeed something to be lauded. From combining several layers of response to decentralisation, innovation and building on existing systems – these were crucial techniques that helped avoid what could have otherwise been detrimental.
From Botswana, South Africa, to Nigeria, the distribution vaccines and sequencing of the virus ensured that Africa survived. This process also relied on collaboration between the Global South – led by Africa, and the North – an important blueprint for working together. As the IHRA takes place on African soil, it is time again to drum up the work of equitable health research, to not only celebrate milestones but to amplify what still needs to be done.
African researchers, innovators and organisations have over the years proved dedication to improving health outcomes. And therefore, Africa is a well poised case study from both a historic and future-looking point of view and is ready to participate pragmatically to move our world forward. This is especially for the benefit of marginalised and underserved communities of the Global South.
This forum also offers us as a continent a moment to challenge the traditional power dynamics in the global health economy. If you think of how millions of people from the Global South were denied life-saving vaccines at the height of the pandemic in 2021 and also during the current Mpox outbreak, deepening inequality and human suffering, you start to understand the importance of self-dependence for the continent to both prevent and overcome these sorts of health crises. There is a need to advance homegrown solutions so that we can be self-sufficient.
Another important aspect to highlight is the idea of equitable collaboration between researchers, those, patients and local communities, impacted by research. I believe that we can achieve more in medical sciences and research when we are deliberately getting an active involvement from communities and patients. Think about how HIV and AIDS research was conducted. We included people living with HIV to better understand their realities. This approach helped us produce solutions that work, helping Africa and the world deal with the epidemic as effectively as possible.
The event brings together leading scientists and health researchers from across the world to discuss how to improve health outcomes for all of society. The aim is to create an inclusive health research ecosystem where expertise is shared and left behind, mentoring continues, local resources are utilised, and we inspire the next generation of researchers. It is an important moment for inclusive health research development and the role of the African continent in this work.
