OUR MISSION

The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative aims to empower African institutions to develop young scientists and professionals, lead pandemic sciences preparedness and response, and translate evidence-based research insights into impactful solutions that enhance pandemic resilience in Africa and worldwide.

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.

There is a clear and urgent need to strengthen the healthcare workforce in Africa, both in numbers and capacity, to ensure the continent is well-equipped to respond to future global health challenges and achieve universal health coverage by 2030. This can be achieved by investing in African epidemic and pandemic sciences research and preparedness.

Developing a thriving sector across academia, industry, government, and policy organisations, and preparing and retaining an emerging generation of young, high-calibre scientists, policymakers, and healthcare leaders will enhance health security and economic prosperity. Additionally, leveraging African expertise will influence global research, preparedness and response priorities.

ABOUT THE COLLABORATIVE

The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative is a multi-year partnership between the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation), the Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) at the University of Oxford, and the Mastercard Foundation to strengthen Africa’s capacity for pandemic research, preparedness, and response.

By equipping the next generation of African scientists and supporting Epidemic and Pandemic Sciences Innovation and Leadership Networks (EPSILONs), the Collaborative fosters a thriving research ecosystem that translates discoveries into impactful, locally relevant solutions. Aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, it advances Africa-led innovation in health security, ensuring a more resilient and self-sustaining health ecosystem for the continent and beyond.

The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. It works with visionary organizations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation is an independent organization separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa. Its policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by the Foundation's Board of Directors and leadership.

The Pandemic Sciences Institute is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Oxford dedicated to confronting the challenge of epidemic and pandemic infectious diseases. We work with academia, industry and public health organisations across the world to create science-led innovations, accelerate understanding, and develop new diagnostics, treatments, vaccines and disease control tools. PSI is hosted by the University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine.

The Science for Africa Foundation is a pan-African, non-profit and public charity organisation that supports, strengthens, and promotes science and innovation in Africa. The SFA Foundation serves the African research ecosystem by funding excellent ideas in research and innovation; enabling interdisciplinary collaborations and building and reinforcing environments that are conducive for scientists to thrive and produce quality research that generates new, locally relevant knowledge.

Over the next seven years, the Collaborative, backed by sustained investment from Mastercard Foundation, will unlock innovative solutions to advance the African continent's preparedness for – and response to – epidemic and pandemic threats by:

Supporting Research
Supporting world-class, locally relevant interdisciplinary research that informs public policy and practice
Scientific Leadership
Enhancing Africa’s scientific excellence, innovation and leadership in pandemic sciences
Nurturing Talent
Nurturing future generations of African scientists and research professionals to develop fulfilling career pathways through training and capacity-strengthening initiatives