Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative

Hosted by:
Science for Africa Foundation
03rd Riverside Drive, Nairobi, Kenya.

Empowering the Emerging Generation of African Scientists to Strengthen Global Pandemic Resilience

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The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative seeks to nurture and equip an emerging generation of young African scientists to tackle epidemic and pandemic threats — today and in the future.

Through world-class, interdisciplinary research and strong mentorship from senior African scientists, we are building a critical mass of high-calibre researchers on the continent. Our goal is to help create pathways to dignified and fulfilling careers in life sciences, while strengthening Africa’s ability to predict, prevent and respond to public health crises. Ensuring knowledge flows between generations of researchers is essential to achieving this. The Collaborative contributes to the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, which aims to enable 30 million young people — 70% of them young women — to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.

Read more about the Collaborative here
Africa represents 17% of the global population,
yet produces just 1-2% of global health research,
a gap driven by systemic under-investment and structural challenges:
0.45 % of GDP
On average, African nations invest only 0.45 % of GDP in research & development, far below the global average of ~1.7% ( UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 R&D Data

Source: UNESCO

200 researchers
There are roughly 200 researchers per 1 million people in Africa, compared to over 4,000 per million in high-income countries

Source: UNESCO Science Report 2021

>50% of researchers
Studies identify that over 50% of researchers report working in isolation, undermining collaboration and innovation (African studies underscore this trend in sub-Saharan regions)

Source: African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, 2019

< 25% of projects
Fewer than 25% of research projects in the region are interdisciplinary, hindering innovation at the nexus of biology, climate, data, and social science.

Source: UNESCO Global Observatory on Science, 2021

~15% of researchers
Only ~15% of early-career researchers access structured mentorship, according to systematic reviews across 12 African countries.

Source: Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa (TENET)

RESEARCH AREAS

The Collaborative supports seven consortia of research excellence known as EPSILONs – Epidemic and Pandemic Sciences Innovation and Leadership Networks — each led by outstanding African researchers. These EPSILONs conduct cutting-edge, locally relevant research in critical thematic areas, while also mentoring emerging scientists and strengthening institutional capacity. Their work spans:

01
Advanced data assembly and analytics for threat assessment and mitigation

Enhancing Africa’s capabilities in advanced data methods and tools for improved epidemic threat assessments and decision-making.

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02
Climate change, biodiversity and pandemic prevention

Strengthening African research capabilities to mitigate zoonotic threats to human health using ‘One Health’ and climate science approaches.

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03
Clinical research and clinical trials on epidemic and pandemic prone infections

Strengthening Africa’s capacity to design and conduct high-quality, streamlined clinical trials that produce actionable evidence.

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04
Epidemic and pandemic public health policy research

Building capabilities to assess and improve the effectiveness, acceptability, and affordability of public health measures for epidemic and pandemic response in Africa.

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05
Social and behavioural sciences

Building capabilities in social and behavioural sciences to enhance community engagement in epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response.

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06
Vaccinology/early-stage vaccine research

Enhancing Africa's vaccine R&D capacity for epidemic- and pandemic-prone infectious diseases while building a robust academic workforce.

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07
Virology – genotype to phenotype

Addressing a critical gap in Africa’s research capabilities by building an understanding of emerging pathogen variants and how genetic changes influence virus behaviour.

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At any one time, the African continent experiences 100 or more ongoing disease outbreaks. As Africa undergoes rapid demographic growth, becomes increasingly connected, and faces persistent environmental degradation, the risks of outbreaks and novel disease emergence will likely intensify. Much can be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate, prepare for, and prevent these occurrences.

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