african country research project

Search the RISA content database.

Get in touch with the risa project.

Email: [email protected]

We are RISA

The Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund is a multi-country project, funded by UK International Development from the UK Government, to support research and innovation systems strengthening in Africa.

• Story Of Change

Unlocking capital for local businesses in Ghana and across Africa through an effective and affordable matchmaking service

Innovative businesses in Ghana struggle to raise financing to scale their operations. Very few funds invest smaller amounts of money that local businesses need, leading to a $5 billion financing gap. Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh), with support from the RISA Fund, is addressing this gap by leading collaborative action work with ecosystem players and scaling technology-driven deal sourcing in Ghana through launching and growing the Deal Source Africa (DSA) programme.

Africa Research and Innovation Commercialisation Summit (ARICS 2024) Report

• News Article

Empowering Innovators: Launch of Phase 2 for the Research to Commercialization Accelerator

• Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana

‘Pre-acceleration’ in Africa: What Works

Keep me up to date with the latest from risa, consortium partners, join the conversation.

The African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE)

ARISE fellowships are aimed at building the capacity of African researchers.

The African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE) is an innovative Research and Innovation (R&I) support programme of the the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), implemented by the AAS in partnership with the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU). Founded on the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), ARISE provides a vibrant platform and pathway for R&I exchanges within Africa and beyond, in contribution to sustainable and inclusive development, economic growth, and job creation. The programme aims at broadening and strengthening Africa's science base in contribution to the transformation of Africa into a knowledge-based and innovation-led continent.

Launched in December 2020, the current €25.5 million pilot phase of ARISE - mainly funded by the European Union with additional support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York - supports nearly 600 early- to mid-career researchers across Africa, led by 47 principal investigators (ARISE Fellows) that are hosted in 38 African countries.

The ARISE programme responds to an urgent need to strengthen Africa’s science base by investing in early- to mid-career researchers and building the capacity of African scientists to deliver cutting-edge research to enhance Africa’s sustainable development. In so doing, the programme will complement the work of participating African research institutions and universities in building a critical mass of role models for African researchers. It will also enable, and secure, career development and will contribute to retaining research talents on the continent.

The main objective of ARISE is to broaden and strengthen Africa’s science base through open and direct continental competition for funding amongst the very best young African researchers with the aim of contributing to the transformation of Africa into a knowledge-based and innovation-led continent. Specifically, the programme aims to:

1.    Enhance the capabilities of emerging African research leaders committed to a research and teaching career in Africa. 2.    Strengthen institutional research management and support systems to enable pan-African research to thrive. 3.    Support the generation of cutting-edge research in contribution to the transformation of Africa into a knowledge-based and innovation-led continent and towards the transformation of lives in African through science.

The 2022 ARISE fellows represent the best research talent on the continent, competitively selected from 929 applicants. Their research is diverse, ranging from providing renewable energy solutions and addressing climate change, to tackling food security and targeting health and environmental problems that are most acute for people living in African countries.  

More information available

The African Academy of Sciences     The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit pan African organisation whose vision is to see transformed lives on the African continent through science. Our tripartite mandate is recognising excellence, providing advisory and think tank functions and implementing key STI programmes addressing Africa’s developmental challenges.  

Africa-Europe Alliance  The Alliance complements the long-standing political partnership between the two continents. It deepens the economic and trade relations and goes beyond a donor-recipient approach, an "equals’ alliance". At the 5th African Union - European Union Summit both partners agreed that economic investment, job creation and trade were common priorities, requiring joint commitment.

Programme events

Funding opportunities, publications.

Prof. Ernest Aryeetey

Prof. Jean Paul Moatti

Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon

Prof. Ahmed Faheem Zobaa (Chair)

Dr Noëline Raondry Rakotoarisoa 

Prof. Marleen Temmerman

Prof. Daniel Nahon

Programme Grantees

Type of scientist:  Public Health Microbiologist

Host Organisation & country: Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Cameroon

Summary (give a simple explanation for non-scientific audiences) Mosquito transmitted viruses such as chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and zika constitute one of the greatest threats to the health and wellbeing of humans and animals. Africa is a source and at the epicentre of several of these mosquito-transmitted viruses. In recent years, these viruses have re-emerged causing epidemics, infecting over 400 million people every year, and causing severe diseases such as hepatitis, paralysis, haemorrhage, birth defects and death. Detection and surveillance of these viruses is extremely challenging for at least two reasons 1) absence of appropriate diagnostic and surveillance tools and 2) lack of properly trained scientists. This project seeks to address these research gap and establish a research and training program on mosquito-transmitted viruses at Centre Pasteur of Cameroon with support from partners in Germany and USA. Grantee Description Dr. Ngu Njei Abanda is a research scientist at Centre Pasteur du Cameroon (CPC). CPC is a public health and research institute in Cameroon. At CPC, he serves as the lead scientist for the arbovirus public health and research laboratory and the WHO Yellow Fever Regional Reference Laboratory. He is a graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA where he obtained a PhD in tropical Medicine in 2017. His doctoral research focused on drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

Dr. Abanda now conducts basic and applied research on mosquito transmitted viruses. such as chikungunya, yellow fever, and dengue viruses. He wishes to identify areas at high risk of transmission of these viruses, develop and test new diagnostic and surveillance tolls and set up sentinel sites for the surveillance of these mosquito transmitted viruses in Cameroon. He is particularly interested in developing a research and training program on the diagnosis, pathophysiology, surveillance, and prevention of mosquito transmitted viruses in Cameroon that will train the next generation of scientist. 

Project: Improving the diagnosis and surveillance of emerging arboviruses (IDASO) In the IDASO project we are working towards establishing a comprehensive research and training program on mosquito-transmitted viruses in Cameroon. With support from collaborating partners at the Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany, and the University of Texas Medical Branch, USA, we plan to train 3 PhD-level and 3 Masters-level students enrolled at a local University in Cameroon. The training of the students will entwined around four research projects: 1) Determine the usefulness of alternative non-invasive samples (saliva/urine) for diagnosing CHIKV, DENV and YFV by RT-PCR, 2) Use antibody phage display to select highly specific CHIKV, DENV and YFV antibodies for diagnostic assays and recombinant viral antigens for serological diagnostics, 3) Assess the performance of mosquito traps with honey-baited FTA cards as a tool for the surveillance of arboviruses in mosquitoes, 4) Determine the seroprevalence of arboviruses among serum samples collected from 2010–2022 in Cameroon. This program will be supported by a technical advisory group composed of local senior scientist and senior scientist at partner institutions.  

Research area:  Malaria

Type of scientist:  Molecular and Biochemical Parasitologist

Host Organisation & country: Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

Summary Current estimates indicates that at least one to three million children die from malaria infection yearly in Africa alone. The emergence of drug-resistant parasite strains poses a major threat to global health and economy with devastating impact on sub-Saharan Africa. This project hopes to design drug-like molecules that could precisely target specific proteins with lipid-binding modules associated with the drivers of antimalarial drug resistance. This long-awaited intervention strategy for controlling the risk of anti-malarial drug resistance in the African continent and other endemic parts of the world would be of immense importance. Also, the project will engage community members with the aim of bridging the gap between researchers and the communities while emphasizing their participations during field sampling in the current drive-out malaria efforts.

Grantee Description Dr. Emmanuel Amlabu is a Senior academic staff and the malaria research group leader at the Genomics and Molecular Biotechnology Research and Training Laboratory (GMBRTL) in Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Nigeria. He obtained his PhD in Life Sciences from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and his doctoral work focused on the molecular biology of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte invasion. During his postdoctoral research at the West African Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, and the Francis Crick Institute, UK, he profiled a pipeline of merozoite proteins for vaccine development and precise drug targeting. Dr. Amlabu now works on the development of novel antimalarial therapeutics targeting Plasmodium falciparum lipid-binding proteins. He is passionate about creating opportunities for next generation scientists that will pilot the most vibrant research platforms in Africa, and provide an excellent environment for the development of future science research leaders.

Project: Development of novel antimalarial therapeutics targeting Plasmodium falciparum lipid-binding proteins (ARISE-PP).

In the ARISE-PP project, we are working towards biophysical characterisation of the individual protein-binding events to illuminate their avidity or selectivity toward lipids and define the essentiality of genes encoding Plasmodium falciparum lipid-binding proteins (PfLBPs) in phosphoinositide signalling pathway. We plan to obtain deeper mechanistic insights on how protein-lipid interactions mediate a plethora of cellular effects by solving the crystal structure of the recombinant PfLBPs. Also, we will characterise the structural determinants involved in the interaction between the PfLBPs and PIPs which should inform downstream drug design approaches. We will build on these strategic approaches by testing newly synthesised drug-like molecules in parasite growth inhibitory assays and establish their potency against drug-resistant parasites, with the sole aim of providing baseline data for hit-to-lead development of PfLBP-based inhibitors. 

Research area:  Dengue and Malaria

Type of scientist:  Medical entomologist/Vector biologist

Host Organisation & country: Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme/ Université Joseph KI-ZERBO Ouagadougou/Burkina Faso

Dengue and other Aedes mosquito-transmitting diseases are re-emerging in many African countries. Outdoor spraying of chemical insecticide products and water holding containers removal, where mosquitoes breed as adults and/or larvae, are the primary methods used during disease outbreaks. Unfortunately, these control tools are not adequately killing the mosquitoes that are able to remain alive after the application of these insecticides products. Our study aims to know the level of effectiveness of traditional and new insecticides and how these affect the mosquito biological life and biting behaviour.

Grantee Description

Dr Hyacinthe K. TOE combines more than ten years of field and laboratory experience in studying mosquito malaria vectors, testing different vector control tools in semi-field conditions, and investigating the impact of resistance on malaria vector control strategies. He obtained his PhD on Vectors Biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), Liverpool, UK. His PhD works focused on the characterisation of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae from Burkina Faso and its impact on current vector control strategies.  With the re-emergence of dengue and others arboviruses diseases such as Zika, Chikungunya and Yellow fever in many Africa countries, Dr Hyacinthe K. TOE re-oriented his scientific interests in Aedes mosquito, the arboviruses vector to understand its ecology, behaviour and resistance to main insecticide products. Dr Hyacinthe K. TOE is adding teaching skills and has been promoted to senior Lecturer at the University Joseph KI-ZERBO (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso). With this grant, he wants to contribute to the transformation of Africa by promoting the research culture among junior scientists.

Project: Ecology and behaviour of insecticide-resistant Aedes aegypti for dengue and other emerging arboviruses control in West Africa

There is a growing concern about the arboviruses infections testified by the recent dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and Yellow fever outbreaks in Africa. The primary response to the increase of arboviruses transmission is based on the reduction of the larval source using biological, mechanical and chemical methods and the reduction of adults which is based on the use of chemical insecticides. However, there is limited knowledge on the ecology and insecticide resistance of the primary vector Aedes mosquitoes, which is becoming resistant to multi-insecticide classes, as we reported in Burkina Faso. This proposal aims at characterizing the extent of insecticide resistance and the underlying mechanisms in Aedes aegypti and assessing how this may impact its behaviour and ecology. Investigation using next-generation sequencing targeted method will be performed to access the spatio-temporal distribution of resistance mutations across West Africa. The impact of insecticide resistance on Aedes mosquito’s life traits parameters will also be assessed. The biting and host-seeking behaviour and the environmental factors affecting this behaviour will be determined. The data generated will fill the gap in knowledge on arboviruses vectors and support the implementation of a sustainable control strategy.

Type of scientist:  Aquaculturist

Host Organisation & country:  National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Uganda

Dr Aanyu Margaret is a Principal Research Officer at the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute that falls under the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) in Uganda. Her duty station is the Aquaculture Research and Development Center. She obtained her Ph.D. in Aquaculture Nutrition in 2017 from the University of Stirling in United Kingdom.  Her doctoral work focused on investigating effects of phytogenic compounds on the growth and nutritional physiology of juvenile Nile tilapia. She applied nutrigenomics to determine dietary phytogenic compounds and their proportions with growth enhancing effects in the diet of Nile tilapia juveniles.

Dr Aanyu is enthusiastic to embrace advanced molecular techniques and nutrigenomics to develop Nile tilapia strains that are fast growing and adapted to elevated temperatures, as well develop their allied feeds and feeding regimes respectively. Two PhDs and four MSc students will work on the different components of the project. Ultimately, the project is expected to contribute to increased and sustainable aquaculture, food security, job creation and improved lives.

Project: Development of an ex-vivo transmission blocking assay for clinical isolates of matured Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes through membrane feeding assays

In Uganda, aquaculture is challenged by high feed costs, fluctuating feed quality, fingerlings of poor genetic quality, inadequate skilled human resource; and recently, rising temperatures predicted to increase beyond optimum limits for optimal growth, development, survival and reproductive success of Nile tilapia. Breeding for fast growing-temperature resilient Nile tilapia adaptable to locally produced compounded feeds is the novelty of this project. Fast growing and temperature tolerant Nile tilapia will reduce the production cycle and feeding costs, and sustain tilapia production under rising water temperatures. 
This project will apply nutritional genomics (nutrigenomics) to develop novel fish feeds customized for maximizing growth and health of the strain of Nile tilapia bred for tolerance to rising temperatures. Nutrigenomics will explore the interaction between fish genotype and nutrition to influence fish growth and health. The project will also integrate circular economy and nutrigenomics to develop a feeding regime that supports optimal fish growth and health while improving natural food production and waste removal in pond ecosystems.  Farmer-participatory-research approach will be used during fish growth experiments conducted in ponds to enable farmers of all gender groups to learn about the fast growing temperature-resilient tilapia strain and it's feeding regime, and promote it's adoption. The results will also be presented in fact sheets, published in the media, distributed to institutional libraries, published in reviewed journals and conference presentations. The project goal is to contribute to increased and sustainable aquaculture, food security, environmental protection and inclusive aquaculture growth through use of low-cost circular economy-based fish feeding regimes.

Country of nationality:  Gabon

Research area:  Vector biology and arboviruses

Type of scientist:   Medical entomologist

Host Organisation & country: Masuku University of Science and Technology, Gabon

Summary  Since its introduction in Central Africa, the tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, spread gradually to become the major dengue, chikungunya, and Zika vector in the region. Its spread continued across remote sylvan ecosystems, with the risk of bridging zoonotic viruses between wild forests and contiguous anthropogenic areas. Dr Obame-Nkoghe’s research, conducted in Gabon, will investigate the underlying drivers, including response to environmental stressors and the genetic variability of this species that could explain its invasive success and influence its vector role for health-threatening viruses in invaded territories, in order to improve control measure against Ae. albopictus-driven vector-borne and zoonotic threats. 

Grantee Description Dr Judicaël Obame-Nkoghe is a medical entomologist researcher and lecturer at the University of Science and Technology of Masuku in Gabon. He obtained his Ph.D. in Medical Entomology in 2016. His research focuses on understanding vector systems (ecology, adaptation, vector invasions, vector transmission of pathogens) and how they model the epidemiological patterns of vector-borne infectious diseases. 

Dr Obame-Nkoghe’s long-term aspiration is to continuously expand and embrace new biostatistics, genetics and modelling methodologies in studying vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. He aims to build research capacities and advance a research niche on vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in Africa. He aspires to train young African scientists, promote research excellence and leadership, and conduct research informing policy decisions to improve human health.

Project: What are the bioecological drivers underlying the invasive success of Aedes albopictus, and risks of arbovirus emergence in Gabon, Central-Africa? Ongoing studies in Central Africa revealed that the spread of Aedes albopictus continued across remote sylvan ecosystems in absence of humans, showing thus a relatively large ecological plasticity. This plasticity presupposes its predisposition to cross the bioecological barriers encountered during its invasion process, as well as its potential to be a bridge-vector for several zoonotic-emerging viruses between wild and anthropogenic compartments. While studies in Central Africa revealed a distribution of Ae.albopictus tending to be associated with a decline or replacement of native mosquito species populations (e.g., Ae.aegypti), the bioecological drivers, including response to biological, physicochemical stressors, and the Ae.albopictus genetic variability that could explain its invasive success and influence its vector competence for health-threatening viruses in Gabon, across different environmental contexts, remained poorly explored. Characterizing these drivers underlying the invasive success of Ae. albopictus is crucial for effective vector control measures against emerging arboviruses. The Dr Obame-Nkoghe’s research will uncover and dissect those drivers with the specific objectives to evaluate the bioecological limits, the genetic structuration and bases of the adaptation of Ae. albopictus populations following an ecological gradient. The project will also allow to characterize its relationships with native mosquito species sharing the same habitats and assess, based on virus screening and vector competence assays associated to modelling technics, the arboviruses’ emergence risk. The project will ultimately contribute effectively to the development of arboviruses’ control strategies in this part of the world.

Country of nationality: Togo

Research area:

Quantum Transport, Computational Nanoelectronics, Device Modelling, Condensed Matter

Host Organisation & country: University of Lome, Togo

Summary Electronics and energy access defines how people live and how businesses operate, especially for the delivery of basic services such as health and education. This project aims to accelerate the discovery of energy materials and improve the efficiency of nanoelectronics devices for better energy access and low-power consumption of electronics in Africa.

Dr. Katawoura’s research will take advantage of the power of quantum simulations and machine learning techniques to develop predictive models of efficient nanodevices and new materials for energy harvest, and thermoelectric applications such as organic-based thermal coolers or solar cells.

Grantee Description Dr Katawoura Beltako is an AIMS alumnus, OIST Fellow and currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Institute of Physics at Augsburg University (UNA) in Germany. He obtained his Ph.D. in Nanosciences and Nanoelectronics from Aix-Marseille University in 2018 and his doctoral work focused on the implementation of a computational modelling technique for studying time-dependent electronic quantum transport in complex materials and nanodevices.

Dr. Katawoura’s long-term aspiration is to implement and support the emergence of cutting-edge quantum research in Africa for nanoelectronics applications. He aims to advance a research niche on energy materials discovery and low-power consumption nanoelectronics, train young African scientists, and conduct research informing policy decisions to improve the delivery of energy access dependent basic services such as health and education.

Project: Quantum Simulations and Energy Materials The quantum simulation project that he is embracing aims to predict the properties of materials and nanoelectronics with molecules as basic functional elements. Molecules have the potential to act as sharp energy filters for electrical currents and could outperform other materials considered for thermoelectric energy conversion. However, there is a clear gap between predictions and demonstrations in the literature studying electronic and thermoelectric molecular junctions. The novelty of his project relies on its capacity to propose nanojunctions beyond current limitations on molecule stability and efficiency for thermoelectric, electronic and energy applications.

Taking advantage of the power of theoretical and AI-based computations confirmed by experimental measurement, this research project focuses on the study of different aspects of quantum transport across molecular junctions and nano-structured materials, ranging from charge to heat transport, as well as excited states and their dynamics. Through the control of chemical synthesis, it will be possible to adjust the electronic and thermal transport properties so that the efficiency of nanoelectronics such as solar cells, thermoelectrics, is greatly increased. Research is expected to lead to a better understanding of thermoelectricity, charge transport at the nano-scale and materials discovery for energy applications.

Nationality:

Orphan Crops diversity and exploitation

Host Organisation & country:

Université de Kara (UK), Togo

African Orphan legumes are highly nutritious and stress-tolerant crops with the potential to enhance food security and contribute to more sustainable farming systems in Africa. Dr Palanga’s research will assess the diversity and the nutritional potential of three orphan grain legumes species (African Yam bean, common bean and Bambara groundnuts) grown in Togo.

Dr Koffi Kibalou is an ARISE fellow and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in 2016 and his doctoral work focused on identification of quantitative traits loci associated and the biochemical compounds associated with Gossypium hirsitum (Upland Cotton) resistance to Verticillium dahliae.

Dr Palanga’s long-term aspiration is to continuously expand and embrace new molecular biology and biochemistry methodologies in studying the diversity of orphan species grown in Togo and their potentiality in mitigating the double burden of malnutrition and to cope with climate change challenges. As a Lecturer and a research investigator, he aims to advance a research niche plants molecular breeding, train young African scientists, and conduct research to contribute to a sustainable agriculture and the double burden of malnutrition.

Project: Agromorphological, genetic and biochemical Characterization of three neglected legumes species grown in Togo and assessment for their adaptability to drought

The project on orphan legumes species aims at gathering all the cultivars of three of most endangered legume grains in Togo and their genetic, agro morphological and nutritional characterization. Aside the molecular characterization, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) will be done in order to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes associated with phenological and phenotypic traits of importance. Further, the study will also identify cultivars with potentiality to resist to drought in a context of climate change where the rain is more and less irregular and cultivars displaying a yield stability under different environments and the genotype* environment interaction thus paving the way to an efficient breeding program to address environmental challenges. It will promote the integration of high nutritious crops in the diet of the Togolese and by doing so a potential novel source of incomes for farmers.

Country of nationality:

Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal

Despite the health burden and threat of malaria in Africa, the development of an effective malaria vaccine hasn’t been possible because of the genetic diversity of the malaria parasite.

The goal of Dr Laty Gaye’s research is to gather critical information for the design of the next-generation malaria vaccines through the characterization of the functional impact of genetic diversity in the malaria parasite’s immune evasion and vaccine efficacy. Dr Laty Gaye will apply state-of-the-art technologies to engineer parasites to contain different variants of the current most prominent blood-stage vaccine candidates and determine the most critical variants to include in a highly effective vaccine.  

Dr Laty Gaye is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal. He obtained a PhD degree in Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases (MCBI) in 2019 from the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCIP), University of Ghana, Legon. His PhD work focused on the mechanisms of erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum, with a particular focus on malaria parasite biology and blood stage vaccines.

As an early career researcher, his goal is to contribute to developing comprehensive biological tools to help address the challenges associated with malaria vaccine development. His short-term career goal is to assess the effect of Plasmodium falciparum genetic diversity on vaccine efficacy. In the longer term, this will contribute to developing strategies to enable the design of next-generation malaria vaccines that can circumvent the challenge posed by strain-specific immunity. This fellowship will greatly enhance his career path, as it will enable him to develop the necessary skills for a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions and specifically how parasite genetic diversity impacts vaccine efficacy, while positioning him to be a leader and mentor for young African scientists in malaria biology and vaccinology.

Project: Assessing the functional contribution of genetic diversity in Plasmodium falciparum RH5 vaccine candidate complex in immune evasion

One of the major challenges that has limited the progress of an effective, deployable malaria vaccine is the breadth of parasite genetic diversity, which often results in the development of strain-specific immunity. This problem has diminished enthusiasm for several invasion-blocking candidates after costly Phase IIb trials. The WHO approval of the first malaria vaccine (RTS,S) is a major achievement and it represents a useful first-generation tool that can be used together with other interventions, but designing a highly-effective, strain-transcendent second-generation malaria vaccine remains the “holy grail” of malaria vaccinology. An ideal malaria vaccine is the one that not only combines safety and efficacy, but also can overcome natural genetic diversity – yielding high efficacy against all circulating strains. Such a vaccine will require a rigorous evaluation of the effect of genetic diversity in the earliest stages of vaccine development, clinical trials, and implementation. Over the last decade, the P. falciparum reticulocyte-binding-like protein homolog 5 (PfRH5) has gained special interest as a promising malaria vaccine candidate, as it is shown to be conserved, immunogenic and essential for parasite survival. PfRH5 binds to other parasite antigens, namely the RH5 interacting protein (Ripr) and the cysteine-rich protective antigen (CyRPA), which together, form an essential complex for merozoite invasion of human erythrocytes. In my project, we will combine genomics and experimental genetics to create parasite lines which can be tested for their immune evasive potential using human monoclonal antibodies from both vaccinated and naturally infected individuals to assess the functional contribution of genetic diversity on P. falciparum immune evasion to ultimately inform the design, evaluation, and optimization of the next-generation malaria vaccines.

Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Geochemistry

University of N’Djamena, Chad

The development of sustainable water management requires the assessment of surface and groundwater interactions, and aquifer recharge, as well as the response of water balance to climate and environmental changes. The aquifers of the Lake Chad Basin cover four African countries, all of which having different groundwater exploitation strategies. It is therefore of the utmost importance to promote the development of thorough hydrogeological understanding on these strategic aquifers, which are easily exploitable for many purposes, from irrigation to drinking water supply.

Dr Mahamat Nour Abdallah's work will contribute to the framework of the Lake Chad transboundary basin to better manage water resources, which is a hot spot in the central Sahel in the context of global change.

Dr Mahamat Nour Abdallah is a fellow of the ARISE PP program, a lecturer-researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Geology at the Faculty of Exact and Applied Sciences of the University of N'Djamena. He obtained his PhD in Geosciences at the University of Aix Marseille, CEREGE, France in 2019 and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Pascal Paoli University in Corsica in 2021. His work is mainly based on understanding the functioning of Sahelian and transboundary surface waters and aquifers in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB).

Dr MAHAMAT NOUR Abdallah's long-term ambition is to develop geochemical -isotopic and modelling tools in order to better understand the relationship between surface and groundwater in Sahel and in particular in the Lake Chad Basin for efficient management of water resources. In addition, Dr Mahamat Nour Abdallah aims to develop a new generation of experts capable of understanding these crucial issues for the development of the region.

Project: Impact of climate change on wetlands from the Lake Chad basin and its consequences on groundwater recharge

In Chad and throughout the Sahelian zone, the population's drinking water needs and domestic uses rely mainly on groundwater. Repeated episodes of drought combined with demographic pressure have created multiple tensions on aquifers, both in terms of quantity and quality. Given the strong climatic variability recorded over the last fifty years in sub-Saharan Africa, it is crucial to determine the real impact of current hydroclimatic changes on groundwater resources, which is still poorly documented in this region of the world. The project aims to strengthen our knowledge to address vulnerabilities related to water and climate change, by improving monitoring and forecasting tools, and to strengthen expertise sharing and technology transfer. To achieve these objectives, geochemical and isotopic tools provide key data on the functioning of hydrosystems, surface water-groundwater interactions and ultimately aquifer recharge. Its methodology will be based on existing (hydro-climatic, geological) and new geochemical (major chemicals, heavy metals), isotopic (δ2H, δ18O, 14C), hydrodynamic, hydrogeological, hydro-climatic data collected in this framework. These data will be used as a basis for setting up modelling experiments to deduce and test in different scenarios, depending on the trajectory of climate change and demographic evolution, the management of water resources.

Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MRCG at LSHTM)

Malaria continues to be a public health challenge in endemic regions especially those in the topical and sub-tropical parts of the world such as sub-Saharan Africa. Parasites and vectors continues to develop new ways in by-passing drug and insecticide treatment. Dr. Oboh is looking at the interaction between the human gut microbiome and malaria infection in children and how this can be harnessed for possible alternative control.

Dr. Mary Oboh is an ARISE fellow and a postdoctoral fellow in the Disease Control and Elimination at

MRCG at LSHTM in Gambia. She obtained her Ph.D. in Parasitology and Mycology from Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar in 2019. Her doctoral research was focused on the molecular epidemiology and evolution pattern of Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance associated markers.

Dr. Oboh’s long term goal is to broaden her molecular biology and bioinformatics computational skills necessary in understanding infectious pathogens. She hopes to empower young African researchers with relevant skills for solving today’s infectious disease problem that perturbed African population.

Project: Bi-directional patho-immunological modulatory effect of human gut microbiome and P. falciparum in children with varied clinical malaria manifestation in south-western Nigeria

This research aims to evaluate the bimodal patho-immunological impact of the human gut microbiome and P. falciparum infections in children with different clinical manifestation. Current malaria control strategies are bedevilled with the development of resistance both by the parasite and vector, hence there is need to look at other alternative measures that can be applied to mitigate the burden of malaria. This study will employ metagenomics, meta-transcriptomics and dual RNA-sequencing of the human gut microbiome (HGM) and P. falciparum in understanding the interplay between the HGM and malaria and how this impact on the progression of the disease. This study has the potential of designing possible future probiotic interventions for malaria control.

Quantum Optics

Frères Mentouri Constantine 1 University (UFMC1), Algeria

Atoms are the basic component of matter but, their microscopic size makes them difficult to understand. Cooling atoms make them easier to manipulate, and many quantum phenomena can be observed using cold atoms. Cold atoms can be used to simulate other more complicated quantum systems for instance in condensed-matter physics, high-energy physics, quantum chemistry—and even unreachable far cosmological systems.

Dr. Mohamed’s research will investigate ways of detecting and manipulating the properties of quantum systems for large scale use and application in various aspects of medicine, chemistry, drug design, climate change, food security and epidemic preparedness.

Dr. Mohamed Taha Rouabah is an Associate Professor at Frères Mentouri Constantine 1 University (UFMC1), Algeria. He received a Ph.D. in Physics in 2015, jointly delivered from Frères Mentouri Constantine 1 University (UFMC1), Algeria, and Université Nice Côte d ’ Azur (UNCA), France. His doctoral work focused on coherence effects in light scattering by atomic ensembles and quantum entanglement of coherent states.

Dr. Rouabah is captivated by exploring the fascinating quantum world and the several potential applications of quantum mechanics to improve calculations capacities and investigate yet unreachable states of matter.

Project: Light Scattering, Quantum Information & Quantum Simulation by Cold Atoms

The project aims to ensure high-quality training for junior scientists and engineers in theoretical and experimental aspects of quantum optics, cold atoms, and quantum simulation through collaborations with international teams having a confirmed experience in the field to create a multidisciplinary research team with both theoretical and experimental skills.

The principal objective of the project will be to set up the first cold-atoms experiments in Constantine and some of the rare to exist in Algeria and Africa. During this project, we aim to first achieve a basic cold atoms experiment, then upgrade the experiment to explore emerging "collective" phenomena such as super radiance, sub-radiance, and light-atoms entanglement and their applications in quantum information. The second objective is to build another cold atoms experiment to explore the quantum simulation of some specific topological phases of matter. The third objective of the project is to collaborate with cosmologists to tackle the possibility of simulating some cosmological phenomena using a cold atoms system.

Immune regulation in helminth infection

Cairo University, Egypt

Schistosomiasis continues to be a burden in Africa with more than 90% of cases being concentrated in Africa. Egg-driven pathological inflammation causes long-lasting impairment of the affected organ function with no available effective drug.

Dr. Abdel Aziz’s research will investigate how the regulatory arm of the immune response, regulatory T cells, regulate the development of fibroproliferative pathology and how to harness their immunoregulatory role to better control the disease pathology.

Dr Nada Abdel Aziz is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa and Lecturer at Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Egypt. She obtained her PhD in Clinical Sciences and Immuno-Biotechnology from UCT in 2018 and her doctoral work focused on the role Interleukin-4 receptor alpha-signalling pathway on Foxp3+ regulatory T cells to control helminth-induced tissue damage.

Dr Abdel Aziz’s long-term aspiration is to advance our knowledge about immune regulation underlaying helminth pathogenesis. She aims to develop a novel research avenue that therapeutically harness immune-regulatory arm to control helminth-induced tissue damage, train young African scientists, and conduct research informing policy decisions to improve human health.

Project: The role of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in the control of schistosomiasis-induced liver fibro-granulomatous inflammation

The regulatory T cell (Treg) project that she is embracing aims to mechanistically understand how Tregs regulate liver fibro-granulomatous inflammation. The currently available drug, Praziquantel, does neither regulate nor reverse the egg-driven immunopathology, thus leaving most exposed individuals with a long-lasting-to-persistent impairment of the affected organ function. Development of novel therapeutic strategies that may help in regulating fibroproliferative pathology to efficiently control the disease burden is thus desperately needed. Dr. Abdel Aziz will use state-of -the-art technologies, single-cell RNA- and ATAC-sequencing, to unveil the changes in Tregs gene expression and epigenetic profile during experimental schistosomiasis. The findings will next be transitionally validated at the clinical level. She then finally aims to mechanistically dissect the function of the consensus factor(s) that empowers Tregs with the suppressive capacity needed to regulate the development of fibroproliferative pathology. Integration of these arms of the project will advance our understanding of how Tregs regulate liver fibroproliferative pathology which will principally pave the way to devise effective interventions that would curtail inflammation and efficiently help in controlling the disease burden in a targeted approach.

Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM), Cameroon

With the increasing malaria parasite resistance to drugs in Africa, the development of antimalarials with new modes of actions is more critical than ever. Dr Tarkang’s research will employ a multidisciplinary approach aimed at the discovery of new anti-infective agents for the identification and validation of new drug targets for malaria therapy.

Dr Protus Arrey Tarkang is a Senior Research Fellow at IMPM, Cameroon. He obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy and Complementary Medicine from the University of Nairobi, Kenya in 2014 and his doctoral work focused on the evaluation of the antimalarial and safety profile of a polyherbal product (Nefang). This was proceeded by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship in infectious diseases, during which he evaluated the in vitro antiplasmodial activities and characterized the interactions between constituent plant extracts of some polyherbals.

Dr Tarkang’s enduring focus is to continuously discover novel natural products and their derived biomolecules and to expand fundamental knowledge about their biological properties, in view of improving their medicinal use. A core research interest is in malaria phytotherapy and centred on the development and application of innovative technologies and screening methods, leading to the discovery of new therapeutic leads.

Project: Combining metabolomics profiling of polyherbals and Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood stage-specificity to improve mechanistic knowledge on malaria therapeutic lead discovery.

This multidisciplinary project aims at the discovery of new anti-infective agents that target human malaria parasites, from selected polyherbals and their use for the identification and validation of novel drug targets for Plasmodium falciparum malaria therapy, by combining herbal metabolomics profiling and P. falciparum asexual blood stage-specificity. Herbal formulations have long attracted interests owing to the potential for synergistic therapeutic effects of components within the mixture, but present challenges to drug discovery due to technical barriers in chemical screening. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based metabolomics presents a dependable platform for the complete elucidation of the chemical diversity of active plants. Whereas High-throughput screens are able to identify potent chemical scaffolds, the lack of knowledge on their target often hampers their further development. The study design that he is developing will be a combined approach that provides more resolution into the various anti-infective agents, their interactions and their different modes of action, by identifying the specific moment of asexual blood stage development against which these compounds are most active in comparison with antimalarial drugs, in the context of combination therapies.

Water Filtration and Membrane Technology

Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI), Botswana

The presence of contaminants in several water sources in Africa makes water unpalatable and significantly reduces the amount of clean safe water available for human consumption. Dr Keroletswe’s research will develop methods of making filtration membranes that can be incorporated into water filters to enable households and/ or communities to clean contaminated water for themselves thereby increasing their access to clean safe water.

Dr Keroletswe is an ARISE fellow and a Researcher at Nanomaterials Division, Department of Natural Resources and Materials at Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI) in Botswana. Dr Ngonye graduated in 2015 from the University of Botswana with a Ph.D. in Chemistry. Her Ph.D. research focussed on extraction of secondary metabolites from medicinal plants, their bioactivity studies and synthesis of heterocycles with antimicrobial activities.

Dr Keroletswe’s research interests include among others tapping into indigenous knowledge systems to inform research in chemistry of medicinal plants and membrane technology where she develops protocols for making sustainable filtration membranes from natural polymers as well as chemical modification of polymers for application in water filtration. This is driven by her desire to improve human lives through science, impart knowledge onto young scientists, inspire female African children by demonstrating that a girl/woman is capable and to contribute to advancement of technology in Africa.

Project: Sustainable Water Filtration Using Cellulose Based Membranes Derived From  Local Biomass.

The project that Dr Keroletswe is researching on is focussed onto developing cellulose based water filtration membranes derived from abundant local biomass such as plants and animal excreta. The challenge with the current synthetic polymer membranes is that they are not only unsustainable (because of their non-renewability), but they are expensive and their waste cause environmental havoc that has adverse effect on natural ecosystems. Also, it has been difficult to upscale most of the membranes for treatment of large bodies of water for use by large communities. The protocols that Dr Keroletswe is developing will open a doorway for further research into the use of cellulose to other applications besides water filtration. Cellulose materials are viewed as the future of materials science. Thus, changing the size of cellulose from micron to nanoscale usher in attractive properties such as enhanced absorbent properties, high tensile strength, and elastic modulus, tuneable and gas impermeable of which may be of interest in other applications. Ngonye will chemically modify the extracted cellulose to target different water contaminants like toxic ions and salinity among others.

Membrane Technology

University of Burundi, Burundi

As populations grow and natural environments become degraded in Africa there is an increasing need for nutrients recovery from wastewater and other aqueous waste streams for use in agriculture. Dr Bunani’s research will work on the development of an integrated system consisting of membrane filtration and an electromembrane process for separation and recovery of nutrients from aqueous liquid waste.

Dr Samuel Bunani currently works at the Department of Chemistry, University of Burundi.  He obtained his PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 2017 from Ege University, Turkey. Dr Bunani does research in Analytical Chemistry applied to environmental issues.

He is mostly interested in water quality analysis, membrane separation technology (NF and RO) for water reuse, electromembrane processes for wastewater management using electrodialysis (ED) and recovery of valuable chemicals from water using bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED). His interest includes inorganic water traces decontamination using ED and ultrapure water production using electrodeionization (EDI).

The future perspective of Dr Bunani is to develop efficient technologies and strategies for safe water supply and clean environment by managing the available water resources and aqueous waste streams. From this liquid waste management, he intends to recover nutrients to supply farmers green fertilizers for soil amelioration.

Project: Development of an Electrochemical Process for Recovery of Nutrients from Liquid Waste Resources (e-Pro4ReNs)

The development of electromembrane process for a sustainable environmental, agricultural and industrialvalorization of bio-liquid waste is a core challenge for a bio-based economy realization. This project aims to design, develop and apply an electromembrane based process to recover organic carbon and nutrients from aqueous waste streams (AWS). AWS highly loaded in total organic carbon (TOC) and nutrients include animal manure slurry, liquid phase of digestate of municipal wastewater treatment processes, etc. Contents of such streams should be viewed as resources of green fertilizers for agriculture. However, direct application of AWS as fertilizer is subjected to various limitations due to the imbalance ratio of nutrients, high variability of nutrients composition, high moisture content, and required specialized equipment. Recovery of TOC and nutrients from AWS should be a good way of liquid waste valorisation. The innovative process invests the features of monopolar and bipolar ion exchange membranes in a single electromembrane process configuration. The process will be able to produce acid and base itself that are mostly required by existing techniques for nutrients recovery. By recovering these nutrients, reducing chemical inputs and wastewater discharge in surface water; the overall objectives of this project are contribution to better food and societal economic improvement by the utilization of green fertilizers in agriculture and protection of the environment by innovative liquid waste management. Briefly, Dr Bunani wants to supply to farmers well balanced fertilizers which are environmentally friendly, to contribute to zero-discharge of AWS and to clean water production.

Mental health

 Host Organisation & country:

Millennium University, Malawi

Mental health knowledge in Africa is still low, whilst stigma and mistreatment towards people with mental health problems remain high, with no specific support for the youth. Dr Jumbe’s research will implement a mandatory mental health education program for students in Malawi universities to address the inadequate mental health support for the youth. The overall aim is to establish youth-centred, accessible and affordable educational support which can promote mental wellbeing of young people in Malawi, despite the country's limited mental health infrastructure and workforce.

Dr Sandra Jumbe is a health psychologist and senior lecturer in research at Millennium University in the Department of Social & Health Sciences. She is also a health services researcher at Queen Mary University of London. She obtained her doctorate in Health Psychology from UWE Bristol in 2017 and has become an experienced researcher over the years working in both clinical and academic settings in primary care and mental health.

Dr Jumbe’s long term aspiration is to expand understanding of global mental health and related problems e.g., substance use, by advancing research niched on youth mental health in Africa, as well as training fellow young African scientists. Her health psychology background makes her an expert in behavioural science, enabling her to set the foundations for evidence-based work that can inform development of effective interventions, treatments, and policy decisions to improve human health.

Project: Implementation of a mental health literacy e-curriculum (MHLeC) in Malawi universities

This project aims to assess implementation of a mental health literacy (MHL) e-curriculum in universities in Malawi, within a feasibility trial. A key goal of Dr Jumbe’s research is to implement MHL on a large scale in Malawi universities to address the country’s mental health service gap. The high-level aim of this work is to establish youth-centred, accessible and affordable support to mitigate mental illness and increase mental wellbeing of young people in Malawi. Specific activities include:

• Implementation of the MHL e-curriculum (developed collaboratively with youth and their advocates) in four to eight universities in Malawi within a pragmatic randomised feasibility trial. This trial will assess acceptability of the curriculum in youth friendly spaces (education and community settings), appropriateness of outcome measures and potential impact on MHL
• An extensive community focused awareness campaign involving youth-centred festivals, radio interviews and social media talks on mental health to normalise mental health conversations outside university settings in both urban and rural communities. Another aspect of this work will focus on translating our mental health resource materials from English to local vernacular to aid inclusivity.

This novel work will address the issue of lacking youth mental health support in the face of inadequate in-country infrastructure and workforce, through provision of quality and accessible learning MHL materials that promote good mental health whilst reducing inequalities around health literacy within Malawi (SDGs 3, 4, and 10)

Nature-based climate solutions

École Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques, (ESSA-Forêts), Madagascar

Food insecurity is still a growing concern in most African countries. Most African farmers rely on slash and burn cultivation or rainfed agriculture which makes them especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change and leads to land degradation and deforestation. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) such as agroforestry which is the integration of trees into crops can be part of the solution, but adoption remains very low because of several constraints such as high upfront costs and lack of access to information. Dr Rakotonarivo’s project aims to address these constraints by identifying the most effective policy levers for upscaling CSA in Madagascar using an experimental approach (randomized controlled trial and experimental games).

Dr Rakotonarivo is a research fellow at the Department of Forestry and Environment at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. She earned a joint PhD degree in Environmental and Development economics from Bangor university and the University of Copenhagen in 2016.

Her research interests lie in the areas of nature-climate interventions in Africa (e.g., forest conservation, restoration, and climate-smart agriculture). She uses a mixed method approach (e.g., quasi-experimental methods and qualitative interviews) to study the political and socio-ecological factors that increase their effectiveness. By identifying what works (and what doesn't) and under what conditions, her research aims to support the design of policies that contribute to the long-term wellbeing of people and nature.  She also has a demonstrated track record of supporting evidence-based policy and working in  multistakeholder engagement .

Project: An experimental approach to optimizing policy for scaling-up climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in Madagascar.

Agriculture accounts for nearly a quarter of GDP in Africa and is the sector of the economy that is the most vulnerable to climate change. Large-scale land restoration is a key pillar of CSA upscaling, but the current pace of transformation is too slow. There is an urgent need to provide policy makers with empirical evidence on the most effective levers for CSA investments. This project aims to fill such knowledge gap in four novel ways. First, we will run novel and dynamic interactive games to understand any potential disincentives to CSA investments (e.g., risk aversion and unwillingness to engage in collective action). Second, we will undertake one of the first field evaluations (a randomized controlled trial) of the causal effects of unconditional cash transfers and information campaigns combined with targeted training on CSA adoption rate. The game outputs will inform the RCT design and outcomes by examining any potentially confounding mechanism of (non)adoption. Third, this project addresses the underlying mechanisms driving CSA adoption by examining the importance of changes in perceptions of land tenure security, risks, and the CSA practice in explaining the treatment effects. Fourth, the use of unstructured interviews will provide in-depth insights on the conditions and moderating factors that most strongly incentivize CSA adoption. Our mixed-method approach will enable us to isolate the relative importance of credit and increased knowledge in overcoming kinetic hurdles to CSA adoption, across heterogeneity in risk tolerance and perceptions. The findings will ultimately allow targeted investments in CSA in Madagascar and in rainfed Sub-Saharan Africa.

Water Pollution and Remediation

Type of scientist:

Environmental engineering

National School of Engineers Abderhamane Baba Touré (ENI-ABT), Bamako

The widespread presence of pharmaceutical products in Africa such as antibiotics and other trace contaminants has raised concerns about their adverse effects for the public health and ecosystems. Under his ARISE-PP grant, Dr Sidy Ba’s research will investigate field application of highly oxidative enzymes as a nature-based solution (NBS) to remove these micropollutants from wastewater and soil, reduce carbon dioxide emission from these matrices, and fertilize soil with enzyme-converted nitrogen.

Dr Sidy Ba is an Associate Professor at the National School of Engineers Abderhamane Baba Toure (ENI-ABT) of Bamako, Mali and the Founding Head of the Laboratory of Chemical & Environmental Engineering. He earned his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada) under a fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). His research focused on crosslinking enzymes (phenoloxidases) for their insolubilization to remove pharmaceutically active compounds including antibiotics from wastewater.

Dr Ba is committed to training and mentoring young Africans in Sciences, Engineering, Technologies and Innovation, particularly in water sciences and technologies for a cleaner environment in Africa.

Project: Enzymatic biotechnology for nature-based remediation of environmental pollution (ENZYREP)

Most environmental applications of biocatalysts remain confined in laboratory research for academic publications. Dr Ba strongly believes in the feasibility and development of field applications of enzymes as a ground-breaking NBS of environmentally sound techniques and technologies. The ENZYREP project will develop large-scale removal of contaminants of (re)emerging concerns from wastewater such as hospitals and industries, and contaminated soils with trace contaminants. His work will also investigate the reduction of carbon dioxide emission from these matrices, and fertilization of decontaminated soil with enhanced enzyme-converted nitrogen.

Instrumentation

Universidade de Cabo Verde (UNICV), Cabo Verde

Technological advances in African countries have allowed the innovation of systems and solutions for monitoring the most varied parameters of interest, boosting the Internet of Things and creation of Smart Cities. In this research project, we intend to take advantage of the benefits of technological evolution to develop smart solutions that allow mitigating the effects of climate change in the water and agriculture sector. The research will study the feasibility of using wireless sensor network and what approaches to adopt so that they can have an impact on the water and agriculture sector that allow mitigation and gain resilience in the face of climate change.

Dr Sónia Semedo is a Professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Cabo Verde, in Cabo Verde. She received her Ph.D. degree in Physics Engineering, specialization in Instrumentation from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, in February 2016. His doctoral work focused on developing and analyzing innovative mechanisms for harvesting energy from different sources to power supply wireless sensor networks.

Dr Semedo’s long-term aspiration is to continuously expand and embrace new approaches for wireless sensor network suitable for African needs and priorities. She aims to advance a research niche on Internet of Things and its applications, encourage young people to pursue research careers, and use research and innovation to improve living conditions.

Project: Smart solutions for water and agriculture to face the Climate Change Crisis in Cabo Verde

In Cape Verde we have experienced several prolonged drought cycles with little or no rainfall, which it directly affects the availability of water for day-to-day activities and services, it becomes mandatory water monitoring for better management and distribution through the population. One approach to accomplish this is using wireless sensor network (WSN) to monitor the parameters and sent it to users for decision making. In this project, we intend to study a feasibility of developing intelligent solutions based on wireless sensor networks that fits to Cape Verde reality and needs. WSN presents several challenges such as security, power supplying, communication range, communication protocols… and in Cape Verde the challenge is even greater because we are an archipelagic country, mountainous where most interesting areas are far from each other and mostly located in rural areas with little infrastructure installed. To prove the feasibility of using WSN, we will explore two case-studies, the monitoring and management of drinking water and the efficient use of water in agriculture. Monitoring water together with weather conditions can provide useful information for defining climate resilience actions. So, based on the results, actions will be proposed to mitigate the effects of climate change in the use of water for consumption and agriculture

Drying technologies

Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania

Post-harvesting loss for cereals and for perishable crops such as fruits and vegetable contribute to food shortages, malnutrition and poverty in Africa. The agricultural produce is wasted not only due to lack of storage and processing facilities, but also due to limited knowledge of processing technologies. Proper drying technologies can reduce post-harvest losses, improve food quality and eradicate poverty. Dr. Kivevele’s research will investigate thermal and drying performance of a novel solar-biogas hybrid dryer; an eco-friendly drying technology.

Dr Thomas Kivevele is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences (MEWES) at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania. He obtained his Doctorate Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Thermal Energy Systems) from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), South Africa and his doctoral work focused on experimental optimization of an air source heat pump dryer for drying agricultural products.

Dr. Kivevele has been conducting ground-breaking and diverse research in the field of drying technologies, solar applications (mini/smart grid, stand-alone/solar home systems), biofuels, energy auditing and management. His ambition is to continue to expand and adopt novel and eco-friendly drying technologies in order to combat the problem of post-harvest loss. He aims to advance a research niche on clean drying technologies, train young African scientists, and develop policy briefs to advise decision-makers on how to increase people's well-being by lowering post-harvest losses through drying.

Project: Solar–biogas hybrid dryer: an energy efficient and environmentally friendly technology for drying agricultural products

Due to absence of proper storage and marketing facilities, farmers in African countries are forced to sell their agricultural produces at throw away prices leading to economic losses. Farming in African Countries like Tanzania is dominated by subsistence farmers located in rural areas, mostly not connected to national grid, they use biomass/fuelwood and natural sun for drying. Excessive use of biomass increases CO2 emission, decreases carbon sinks and enhances climate change impacts. Furthermore, improper storage and drying such as open sun drying can cause aflatoxin, dust contamination and dried products become of poor quality. Solar dryers are among promising technologies for proper drying and transition to low carbon emission. Although solar drying technologies have been developed in sub-Saharan Africa, most countries such as Tanzania have experienced limited market penetration due to the need of more research. Nevertheless, most of the developed solar dryers are passive systems which solely depend on the presence of sunlight, it become useless in the absence of sunshine. To facilitate non-sunny drying, this project intends to develop a novel solar-biogas hybrid dryer. Biogas is a renewable fuel made from the decomposition of organic matter like animal manure and food wastes. Biogas system will be employed as a back-up when solar technology is down. The technology will be made using cheaper and readily available local materials. The technology will ensure food security, improve income to farmers while reducing environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions.

Macroalgae/Seaweeds Biotechnology

Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), Mozambique

Africa has several macroalgae which are underexploited, yet they are rich resources with wide applications in human and animal nutrition, agriculture, pharmacy, cosmetic, among others. There is need to cultivate certain species of macroalgae and improve the techniques of their large-scale production. Dr Valera and her team will be investigating the sustainability of cultivating and processing macroalgae in the Southern part of Mozambique.

Dr Valera Dias is a member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), and is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences at Eduardo Mondlane University. She obtained her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Cape Town, where she was focused in Biotechnology, investigating the effect of a probiotic supplemented diet (based in macroalgae and microorganisms) in the immune system abalone, a marine cultivated organism under aquaculture system.

Dr Valera Dias has been studying the potential of biotechnological application of marine macroalgae that occur in the southern of Mozambique. She aims to find some solution that can answer the issues from the rural communities in the coastal zone, such as alternative source of activities and incomes, through the cultivation of certain macroalgae species. She will be conducting a scientific study related to the improvement of cultivation and processing of these species, extraction of bioactive compounds and other potential biotechnological application.

Project: Evaluation of Eucheumoids cultivation and exploitation in the Southern of Mozambique

In this project the cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum will be implemented in two different sites in the Southern of Mozambique. The experimental procedure will follow the floating longline method and the cultivation will be deployed in an area of approximately 300 m2. The sample of macroalgae will be harvested at 15-day intervals in order to determine the daily growth rate, morphological characteristics, as well as other relevant aspects, such as epiphyte loads that may decrease production. After 60 days, approximately 80% of the macroalgae will be collected and air dried. Periodic monitoring of environmental conditions and social impacts will be conducted: (1) daily environmental conditions will be evaluated (temperature, salinity, etc); weekly, visit site will be performed to monitor the longline structures; (2) social activities will be record and community consultations will be held to find out people's point of view regarding the project. Meanwhile, workshops and talks will be given to the local communities in order to familiarize them with the importance of macroalgae.  The second part of the project will be concentrated in processing of the biomass in order to identify, extract and process potential product of interest such as carrageenan, antioxidants and other bioactive compounds. The last part of the project will be dedicated to report our finds to the scientific community, to the local communities (involving them, so they can have an alternative income-generating opportunities), and the society in general (so they can accept the products and invest in this activity).

Research area

Nature based solutions to climate change

University of Namibia, Namibia

Recent large scale climate shocks in Africa and other continents have highlighted how biodiversity loss, climate change, urbanization, and structural inequality are converging to threaten planetary health. Dr Thorn’s research will investigate how green infrastructure together with novel planning and governance processes can reduce exposure to flooding, heat, and pollution in some of the most marginal populations and ecosystems in Africa.

Dr Jessica Thorn is Fellow at University of Namibia and Lecturer in Sustainable Development at the School of Geography at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, prior to which she was a research fellow at the universities of York, Cape Town, Colorado State, and ETH Zurich. Her work broadly concentrates on climate change adaptation, social-ecological systems, biodiversity conservation, the sustainability of mega infrastructure and green transitions in peri urban, smallholder and mountain systems. This work involves participatory scenario planning, ecosystem service assessments, systematic reviews running surveys to compare local perceptions and observed changes.

She obtained her PhD in Zoology from the Biodiversity Institute and Long-Term Ecology and Resource Stewardship Lab at the University of Oxford in 2016, and her doctoral work identified changes in biodiversity, and the use of ecosystem services along climatic gradients in smallholder agroecosystems, Nepal, and Ghana.

Dr Thorn’s long-term aspiration to continue to reimagine innovations in climate resilience for human and non-human species; challenge existing paradigms on peri-urban systems dynamics and future transformations; support capacity building of young African scientists for timely, effective, and scalable delivery; and generate insights to inform settlement upgrading, risk reduction and covid recovery efforts across Africa.

Project: Future Landscape Optimization for Peri Urban Resilience and ecosystem Health in Africa (FLOURISH)

This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness urban green infrastructure innovations by harnessing novel scenario planning, digital satellite technology, and a living lab. FLOURISH will develop a more comprehensive understanding of 1) past and present drivers of change, urban-rural linkages, and desired futures; 2) how different types of urban green infrastructure reduce the severity of multi-hazard exposure to flooding, heat, and pollution; 3) the impact of regenerating urban green infrastructure and how this supports the diffusion of innovations and health; and 4) create systemic solutions that enhance social-ecological benefits with city and private actors through knowledge exchange. This critical and timely study will focus on three cities which constitute the empirical, comparative foundation: Sierra Leone, Namibia, and Madagascar with synthetic archetypal analyses for global impact. Types of urban green infrastructure will include street trees, trees that retain stormwater, parks (public, private), highway verges, swales, channelised rivers, urban agriculture, and gardening (home, communal, roof-top, rain) due to their potential to reduce flood and heat stress. This application represents a clear conceptual advance of understanding regenerative peri-urban systems at scale; moving beyond learning how to study wicked problems to systems-level transformation in three African landscapes.

Research area:            

Nutrition & Health

Host Organisation & country :

Centre de Recherche Médicale et Sanitaire (CERMES)

Several factors continue to threaten the nutritional status of children under five years in Africa. In addition to this, containment measures adopted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have led to further disruptions in food production and distribution and in humanitarian supply chains. Medically, the commonly used protocol for the management of Acute Malnutrition such as those faced in Africa remains imported fortified blended flours. Dr Karidio will develop a new formulation of microbiota-directed therapeutic flours from local ingredients as an alternative to imported ones.

Dr Karidio is an ARISE-PP fellow and the Head of the Platform of Immunology and Hæmatology at CERMES in Niger Republic. He obtained his PhD. in Biochemistry from Ege University with a research thesis focused on “Isolation of Anticancer Agents from Microorganisms and Investigation of their Effectiveness”.

Currently, Dr Karidio’s research focuses basically on microbiota targeted nutrition (at all life stages), for sustainable, preventive, maintenance, and correction of health status: Nutrition and Health

Project: “Investigation of local food sources of prebiotics for the prevention and management of moderate acute malnutrition in Niger.”

In 2020, the number of West African children (in general) and those of Niger (in particular) that suffered from malnutrition (Acute malnutrition). In health institutions, moderate acute malnutrition is essentially treated with therapeutic flours (imported at a high cost). Currently, there is a growing body of literature reporting a pivotal role of the microbiota in the nutritional status of infants and children. Feeding infants and children with prebiotic-rich foods would eventually favour a beneficial qualitative and/or quantitative composition of the microbiota characteristic of a healthy status. Dr Karidio is interested in the local production, with local ingredients, of microbiota-directed (prebiotic-rich), therapeutic fours as alternative for imported one.

Earth Science

Institut et Observatoire de Géophysique d’Antananarivo (IOGA), Madagascar

Earthquakes continue to be contributing factors to Africa’s natural disasters causing immense economic and human losses related mostly to the destruction off infrastructure. Dr Razafindrakoto’s project aims to enhance scientific capacity in seismological research and engineering seismology in Madagascar through improved earthquake monitoring and state-of-the-art seismic hazard analysis.

Dr Hoby Razafindrakoto is currently a research scientist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), focusing on bridging the gap between computational and engineering seismology. She has been working in various cultural environments in four countries (Madagascar, Saudi-Arabia, New Zealand, and Germany) and has authored 15 peer-reviewed publications addressing problems in seismology, seismic hazard, and seismic risk. She obtained her Ph.D. in Earth Science from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 2015. Her doctoral research was directed toward quantifying the uncertainty in finite-source inversion using Bayesian inference.

Dr Razafindrakoto’s long-term aspiration is to build a team that has technical and scientific prowess reaching the international level standards and having the capacity to compete in public calls, contribute to scientific activities in international projects and monitor mining areas in regards to seismology.

Project: Earthquake Monitoring and hazard evaluation In Madagascar (EARTHMOVING)

The EARTHMOVING project aims to empower research in earthquake seismology and seismic engineering in Madagascar, as well as to build a foundation for advanced physics-based and rapid post-earthquake assessment from earthquakes in Madagascar and eventually in Africa. Activities within this project are framed around three key work packages: Technology Platform, Sciences & Research, and Capacity Building. In terms of technology platform, the goal is to enhance earthquake monitoring by improving state-of-the-art algorithms to detect and locate events and discriminate between natural and non-natural earthquakes (e.g., quarry blast). In the Sciences & Research topic, the aim is to capitalize on the monitoring developments and the existing data from permanent and temporary seismic stations in Madagascar to achieve a comprehensive seismic hazard analysis accounting for both natural and induced seismicity; a  first step toward managing the risks effectively. Finally, for capacity building, the purpose is to strengthen professional development and ensure a long-term impact on scientific capacity, allowing scientists from Madagascar to be fully      involved and contribute to international scientific projects aiming to understand the solid earth and associated risks.

Wireless Communication and Networking Systems

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco

 A large population of African countries suffers from digital exclusion. The main reason for the digital gap is the low telecommunications investments in the areas where the population income is very low. Therefore, it is important to study novel and practical telecommunication solutions that are adapted to underprivileged regions and come at low costs. In this context, our research project will answer the question: how to provide Internet access to unconnected and under-connected regions quickly and with reduced costs?

Prof. Hajar El Hammouti works as an Assistant Professor with the School of Computer Science, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, Morocco. She received her Ph.D. degree in computer science and telecommunications from National Institute of Posts and Telecommunications (INPT) in 2017. Her research interests focus on modelling and optimizing wireless communication systems, including Internet of Things and unmanned aerial vehicles networks.

Prof. Hajar El Hammouti is also interested in the application of machine learning and game theory to the broad area of mobile communications.

Project: Broadband Internet Access for Unconnected and Under-connected areas

Around half of the world's population (i.e., 4 billion people) is living in unconnected or under-connected areas where Internet penetration is very weak or non-existent. Most of this population lives in low-income areas, particularly in Africa, with high illiteracy rates. The traditional communication infrastructure is costly, and operators are not encouraged to invest in network infrastructure in the absence of a viable business model that ensures a return of investment. This results in a vicious cycle: low-income populations cannot pay for Internet access; therefore, they do not have access to e-learning and online job opportunities; hence, they cannot improve their income to attract telecommunications investments. Our project aims at breaking this vicious digital cycle by proposing cost-efficient solutions to operators and telecommunication stakeholders. Our focus is on non-terrestrial telecommunication systems. In fact, flying infrastructures (e.g., high aerial platforms, low earth orbit satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, etc.) have been considered as a promising technology to ensure a large coverage at low costs. In our project, we will study the performance of non-terrestrial networks (NTN) against alternative solutions. We will identify use cases where NTN outperform terrestrial networks. We will also propose intelligent resource allocation approaches for NTN to further improve their performance and reduce the costs. We will give particular attention to energy efficiency as we will propose mechanisms to reduce the energy consumption for NTN. Finally, we will provide an economic analysis to evaluate the performance of NTN for multiple use cases and propose incentive mechanisms to encourage the stakeholders to invest in underprivileged areas. In sum, our project will provide a clear roadmap to accelerate Internet access in Africa.

Solar Energy

Federal University Dutse, Nigeria

Energy crisis and resultant environmental pollution continues to be a major hindrance to the development of African countries thus, this research focuses mainly on providing an alternative source of fuel apart from the conventional fossil fuel. Dr Hafeez proposes solar fuel (Hydrogen) generation via water-splitting as an ideal future fuel. Dr. Hafeez’s research will generate energy via simple materials including photocatalyst, water and solar light.

Dr. Hafeez Yusuf Hafeez is an experienced researcher and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physics, Federal University Dutse, Jigawa state, Nigeria. He obtained his PhD in Nanoscience from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India in 2018 and his doctoral work focused on the Design and development of solar-light driven organic/inorganic hybrid materials (especially metals, metal-oxide based catalysts) for photocatalytic solar fuel (Hydrogen) production.

Dr Hafeez’s long term aspiration is to become a research Professor at Federal University Dutse with a well-established laboratory that will train many researchers. He is highly interested in research, especially catalyst design for solar-driven water splitting, photoelectrochemical applications and other related fields. He expects to publish results from this project in high-impact journals. He also aims at publishing articles for science dissemination and participate in international conferences to exchange knowledge and to develop national and international collaboration. He aspires to create a large community of researchers in my area of research in Europe and the world at large.

Project: Development of Efficient and Robust Mxene Based Photocatalysts for Production of Solar Fuel (Hydrogen) via Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Advancing high-performance, inexpensive photocatalysts for solar fuel production is an urgent goal. MXene supported heterojunction photocatalysts (MHPs) are a promising class of emerging materials, however the current limitation of MHPs remains as poor charge separation efficiency, resulting in low photocatalytic activity. Herein, we will design and develop novel MHPs by several methods including, hydrothermal, precipitation, ultrasonic, and wet impregnation, for efficient solar-driven photocatalytic H2 production. The prepared photocatalysts will be characterized by standard techniques (such as XRD, Raman, FTIR, XPS, SEM, TEM, BET, PL spectra, UV-vis DRS spectra) and optimized for H2 production. In parallel, model systems of the MHPs, prepared as thin film photoelectrodes will be scrutinized with perturbation electrochemical techniques in order to gain deep insight into the charge carrier dynamics and direct the improvement of the MHPs. This synergy will enable significant advance in the maximum H2 production activity and Solar-to- Hydrogen (STH) efficiency.

Moreover, most of the photocatalytic activities are performed using fluorescent lamp, which could only provide opportunities for photocatalysis application in an indoor environment. Whereas the method to be adopted in this research will give access to proper utilization of the solar light in the photocatalytic activity that could be beneficial to our continent and country (Nigeria), as Nigeria is an equatorial climate country where abundant and clean solar energy is available for water splitting to produce hydrogen. Thus, this project will establish that coupling MXene with semiconductor heterojunction materials can open a new approach to fabricate inexpensive and noble-metal-free materials for sustainable solar fuel (Hydrogen) production.

Tuberculosis

Despite the continuous health burden of Tuberculosis in Africa there is almost no literature on the Tuberculosis experiences of Adolescents and Young People [AYP] or how best to offer this group which is at the highest risk, Tuberculosis services. The OASIS-PN project will fill this critical gap by working with AYP to understand their experiences and co-develop mechanisms and strategies to optimise TB services using a person-centred approach.

Dr Graeme Hoddinott is a Senior Researcher and the Socio-behavioural Science Lead at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He obtained his PhD in Psychology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2019 and his doctoral work focused on developing a conceptual model of school-based HIV prevention premised on community dialogue and ‘shifting the narrative’.

Dr Hoddinott now works to understand how best to deliver acceptable, family-oriented Tuberculosis (and related disease) services for children, adolescents, and their caregivers. He is passionate about creating opportunities for emerging African scientists through a focus on research method rigor, mentorship, and opportunities for participation.

Project: Optimizing Care for Adolescents with Tuberculosis: A Pilot Implementation Study in Namibia (OASIS-PN)

In the OASIS-PN project we are working toward making TB services for adolescents and young people (aged 10-24-years-old) better. We want adolescents and young people who need TB services to get highest quality care – delivered in ways that are convenient, friendly, and acceptable. We plan two cross-cutting capacity-building activities: Firstly, creating local ‘advisory groups’ of young people to help us interpret the research project data and improve TB services together. Secondly, we will fund a group of PhD-level social and behavioural scientists to use the OASIS-PN project experience as future academic leaders at the University of Namibia. Building on this platform, we will implement three complementary research projects to understand: (1) the experiences of adolescents and young people who are receiving TB services, (2) how TB services for adolescents and young people are organised at health facilities and in communities, and (3) adolescents’ and young people’s preferences and priorities for making their TB services better. Working with community members and the comprehensive, synergistic research projects will set the agenda for improving TB services for adolescents and young people in Namibia and elsewhere in southern Africa. 

Gastrointestinal cancers

University of Zambia School of Medicine, Zambia

Cancer of the stomach continues to cause many deaths in Africa in due to limited resources for early case detection of its major causative infections. Dr Kayamba’s research will investigate the major cause of cancer of the stomach in Africa. The research will also involve testing a new diagnostic tool which is designed for use in low resource settings.

Dr Violet Kayamba is a senior lecturer at the University of Zambia School of Medicine, and she conducts her research with the Tropical Gastroenterology and Nutrition Group (TROPGAN). She obtained her PhD in 2019 in medical and health sciences incl Neurosciences. Her main research interest is in upper gastrointestinal cancers and as an early career researcher, she has published several peer reviewed original articles highlighting different facets of these cancers in Zambia.

Dr Violet’s aim is to mentor a cohort of young researchers who will subsequently contribute to the growth of high standard research outputs.

Project: Gastric cancer in Zambia:   A comprehensive evaluation of epidemiology and mechanisms of carcinogenesis

Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, but there is an uncertainty surrounding it, designated as the African Enigma (AE). Proposed 30 years ago, the enigma suggested that GC incidence in Africa was low despite a high prevalence of its main risk factor, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. There are controversies surrounding the AE with some scientists labelling it as a medical myth while others believing it to be accurate. If it is true, then H. pylori and its African human host have co-adapted to commensalism. However, if it is an artefact of inadequate data, it needs to be disproved.

The project will determine H. pylori prevalence across Zambia using archival blood samples collected from a population-based survey, and estimate GC prevalence in an unprecedented way so as to determine if the AE is an illusion. To provide further insights into possible gastric carcinogenic pathways, microbiome changes related to GC and premalignant lesions will also be studied.

Lastly, the project will involve testing of a novel diagnostic tool, the Sangui-filum (S-filum), a simple tool that can be employed in low resource settings to identify individuals with gastric mucosal lesions that need referral for endoscopy. With this project, Dr Kayamba will build a research team supported by experienced local and international collaborators, simultaneously generating data of international significance in a quest to understand gastric carcinogenesis.

Tropical forest ecology

Marien Ngouabi University, Republic of Congo

Tropical forests in Africa contain a high biodiversity, play key roles in global carbon cycle, and deliver crucial ecosystem services for local people and the global community. A better understanding of the functioning of these ecosystems will strengthen the basis for effective management, conservation, and restoration. Dr Loubota Panzou's research will evaluate whether changes in biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services will vary by type of disturbance, and whether these changes alter trajectories of degradation and/or recovery, and resilience to disturbance in Central Africa.

Associated researcher to laboratory of biodiversity and ecosystem and environment management at the Marien Ngouabi University in the Republic of Congo, Dr Grace Jopaul Loubota Panzou is a forest ecologist interested in understanding the functioning of tropical forests across spatial and temporal scales. He obtained his PhD in forest ecology and management from Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (Liege University) in 2018. His research work focused on tree allometry in tropical forests from Central Africa to pantropical scale.

Dr Loubota Panzou’s long-term studies are to expand new methodologies for the quantitative modelling of land-use change trajectories in tropical forests. He aims to deliver understanding of how human--induced disturbances affect biodiversity-ecosystem service relationships in Central Africa, contributing to conceptual framework developed by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

Project: Quantifying impacts of human-induced disturbances on biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships in Central Africa

Central African forests form the second largest continuous block of tropical forests in the world with a substantial biodiversity and a multitude of provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services to human populations. Despite their important role, they are threatened from a wide range of disturbances (e.g., logging, slash and burn agriculture, …) that induce an irreversible and drastic biodiversity loss with major ecological consequences. The project aims to quantify the impacts of human-induced disturbances on biodiversity–ecosystem functions relationships in three forest allocations (undisturbed forest, selectively logged forests and clear-cut secondary forests) of two research areas contrasted by climate in Central Africa. Using three data fusion approach employing the field ecological, socio-economical, and remote sensing data, this study is framed around three research objectives. First, we will assess perceptions of the supply and the use of ecosystem services by local populations, and its determinants and sustainability. Second, we will examine biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships in response to the underlying environmental determinants. Third, we will estimate the recovery dynamic and time scales of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services. The integrated assessment of ecosystem services in combining social, ecological, and economic approaches, will offer new important perspectives for forest management to promote the biodiversity conservation in tropical forests.

Crystal Engineering and Supramolecular Chemistry

Midlands State University, Zimbabwe

Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuel to produce energy is causing the greatest environmental concerns such as climate change and global warming in most African countries. Dr Mehlana’s research seeks to use enzymes housed in porous materials to capture and repurpose carbon dioxide emitted from power plants to produce methanol. Apart from the clear environmental and health advantages to be realized, there are economic benefits promised because methanol is a clean burning fuel suited to the infrastructure currently available to emerging economies.

Dr Gift Mehlana is a Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Sciences at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. He obtained his PhD at the University of Cape Town in South Africa in 2014.

His doctoral work focused on developing new porous material for chemical sensing. Dr Mehlana is the President of the Zimbabwe Chemical Society and Secretary of the African Crystallographic Association whose aim is to promote science and improve lives of the Africans through crystallography. Dr Mehlana’s research will focus on developing new materials for applications in catalysis, sensing and drug delivery.

Project: Water stable porous Metal Organic Frameworks as host materials for biological catalysts in carbon dioxide conversion to methanol

The methanol economy is vital to addressing growing global needs for improved energy  storage whilst reducing carbon emissions. Research into utilizing carbon dioxide to produce methanol under heterogeneous conditions has focussed on Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 composite catalysts. These use high-temperatures around 200 to 320 °C and pressures of 5 to 10 MPa, making catalyst structure difficult to control. Natural enzymatic processes which have undergone years of evolution can be exploited to produce methanol from carbon dioxide. This research seeks to use natural enzymes confined in a controlled chemical environment to convert CO2 captured by metal-organic frameworks into methanol. While enzymes are prone to changes in pH, temperature which limits their application in industrial processes, metal-organic frameworks provide a platform which prevents the enzymes from unfolding making them highly active and applicable for industrial applications under harsh environments.

Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Ethiopia

Meningitis remains a major health concern in Africa because of wrong diagnosis leading to wrong treatment. Dr Getachew’s research is focused on enhancing the diagnosis of acute meningitis through developing resources, and time-saving molecular diagnostic tools that are based on a relatively easy-to-collect blood sample to replace the technically difficult and invasive cerebrospinal fluid sample.

Dr. Getachew Tesfaye Beyene is an ARISE-PP fellow and researcher in the Bacterial and Viral Diseases Research Directorate of the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Ethiopia. Getachew obtained his Ph.D. in Medicine and Health Sciences from the University of Oslo, Norway in 2017. His doctoral work focused on Meningococcal DNA repair and transformation. He elucidated the link between the Neisserial DNA repair and DNA transformation mechanism and contributed to a novel understanding of meningococcal genome instability and antigenic variation.

Dr. Getachew’s long-standing aspiration is to improve patient management by enhancing diagnostics and surveillance of acute meningitis through developing resources and time-saving molecular diagnostic tools suitable for point-of-care testing and conducting research informing policy decisions to improve human health.

Project: Enhancing diagnosis of acute meningitis in meningitis belt resource-limited setting, Ethiopia

In this meningitis project, Dr Getachew aims to conduct the surveillance of the prevalence of meningitis and address the changing epidemiology of the aetiology of meningitis since the introduction of the vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis serogroups-A. Develop multiplex PCR-based kits for diagnosing bacterial and viral meningitis suitable for local use. Alleviate the need for lumbar puncture by providing evidence for the use of blood instead of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the diagnosis of meningitis. Further Dr. Getachew uses metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches to investigate previously unaddressed pathogens of meningitis and resistance gene profiling, and the transcriptional aspects of three central elements of meningitis (pathogens, microbiome, and host) to characterize putative mechanisms by which pathogens manipulate microbiota, and host immune response to facilitate infection, respectively. Dr Getachew also explores new biomarkers with the potential for differential diagnosis of meningitis and putative targets for novel adjunctive therapies using proteomics.

Nanomaterials

Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Botswana.

Highly infectious diseases like Tuberculosis (TB) and other pulmonary diseases continue to be the leading causes of death in many African countries despite the availability of drugs for treatment. This is because in many cases the diagnosis is done late.  Dr Chimowa’s research will investigate the application of advanced nanomaterials as gas sensors of vapours in human breath as an alternative fast and non-invasive technology for rapid diseases diagnosis.

Dr George Chimowa is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, in Botswana. He obtained his Ph.D. in Physics, from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2015, where he studied the quantum AC transport of Nanomaterials. He went on to do two post-doctoral fellowships at CSIR and CNRS in South Africa and France respectively.

Dr Chimowa’s long-term aspiration is to continuously expand and exploit new nanoscience to develop technologies that solve global problems in the medical field. His hope is that the current technology being developed can be extended to future viral disease diagnosis. He aims to advance this research of disease diagnosis and monitoring using human breath and will in the process train young African scientists and conduct research informing policy decisions to improve human health.

Project: Advanced Nanomaterials for disease diagnosis using human breath

This project aims at developing a new class of carbon-based nanomaterials and their composites that will be used as resistive gas sensors of volatile organic compounds that are found in human breath. Human breath is known to contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) some of which are biomarkers of specific diseases. By identifying these VOCs, Dr Chimowa hopes to be able to develop an alternative technique for disease diagnosis that is rapid and non-invasive. This technology will in the long term lower the health budgets of most Southern African countries that have a high TB burden.

Plant disease resistance in a changing climate

Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Cote d’Ivoire

Rice is becoming a more significant food crop in Africa; however, drought stress and increased nitrogen fertilizer use to boost rice production intensify the impact of rice blast disease, posing a threat to the region's rice industry and food security. Dr. Onaga’s research will utilize genomic approaches to identify and map rice genomic regions and develop stable markers and breeding lines for resistances to rice blast in a changing climate and crop intensification systems, using African rice species which are adopted to African conditions. In addition, the project will strengthen institutional bioinformatics and molecular biology capabilities.

Dr. Geoffrey Onaga works at the Africa Rice Center in Cote d'Ivoire as an associate principal scientist in the Genetic Diversity Improvement (GDI) program. His dissertation focused on genomic studies in rice-rice blast interaction at high temperature, and he received his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Georg-August Universität in Göttingen, Germany. His post-doctoral research focused on rice-pathogen interaction and pathogen population biology at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Dr. Onaga's long-term goal is to use molecular biology and bioinformatic approaches to better understand plant biotic and abiotic interactions. He aims to create a research expertise on rice disease mitigation in a changing climate and crop intensification systems, train young African scientists, and conduct research to guide policymakers in making better crop disease management decisions.

Project: Harnessing Oryza glaberrima genomic resources for rice disease resistance in a changing climate

The Plant disease resistance in a changing climate (PDRCC) project that he is embracing aims to combine genomic/bioinformatic approaches to identify stable rice traits for improving rice blast resistance in drought situations under increasing nitrogen fertilizer use. Rice blast is a devastating disease that causes up to 100% rice yield losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Inadequate rice cultivars suited to prevent the detrimental impact of nitrogen fertilization on cultivar resistance compromises improving cultivar resilience to rice blast in the region. The African rice species, Oryza glaberrima, is adapted to SSA and is a rich source of genes for biotic and abiotic stress resistance. There have been no genomic studies on O. glaberrima critical traits to mitigate the combined effect of rice blast, drought, and nitrogen fertilization, even though the influence of drought and nitrogen fertilization on plant-pathogen interaction has been investigated. By bringing together bioinformaticians, breeders, and plant pathologists, this project will generate new insights on rice-rice blast interaction, develop new resistant breeding lines, build capacity, and broaden our collaboration, all of which are critical for accelerating rice breeding and ensuring rice production sustainability in SSA in the face of climate change.

Research area:  

Instituto de Ciências de Saúde/Universidade Agostinho Neto  (ICISA/UAN), Angola

Malaria continues to be a public health problem in Africa contributing to the high rates of morbidity and deaths. The research of Prof. Dr. Sacomboio will assess whether certain blood groups are associated with susceptibility and severity in malaria infection.

Prof. Dr. Sacomboio holds a Ph.D. in Health Sciences from the School of Medicine of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) attained in 2017. He is a professor and researcher at the Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde/ Universidade Agostinho Neto (ISCISA/UAN). He works on research projects focused on malaria comorbidity and mortality, Malaria Acute Kidney Injury, CKD, Blood group polymorphism and malaria susceptibility, sickle cell anemia and malaria, and other projects.

The long-term aspiration of Prof. Dr. Sacomboio is to continue to discover clinical phenomena of infectious diseases that may be associated with genetic conditions and to help in the discovery of new forms of diagnosis and treatment, based on evidence-based medicine, especially local evidence in Africa. He intends to advance a niche of research on blood group polymorphisms, malaria, and kidney damage and discovers phenomena that may be associated with resistance to treatment, as well as train young African scientists to help conduct scientific research, and create policy public policies, professional changes and improve human health.

Project: Blood group Polymorphism and Susceptibility to malaria

In this project, we intend to evaluate the blood group polymorphism and define the susceptibility and severity profile of Plasmodium. Two study groups will participate in this project (500 individuals without malaria, and 500 individuals with malaria), where we will evaluate blood group polymorphisms (Duffy, ABO, Lewis, Kidd, Kell, RH, sickle cell anemia, and others). With the results of this study, we will be able to track the genetic conditions of the Angolan population involved in the emergence of diseases. Describe polymorphisms in Duffy, ABO, Lewis, Kidd, Kell, RH, sickle cell, and other blood groups that may be associated with resistance or susceptibility to malaria. Assess the frequency of factors that may be protective against Plasmodium infection or that minimize its pathogenicity. In the future, we will carry out in-depth studies on how blood transfusion can be a co-protector or not against Plasmodium infection, especially in women and children under 5 years old, who are more susceptible to Plasmodium infection. With these results, we can strengthen institutional research management and support systems to enable Pan-African research to thrive. We will be supporting the generation of cutting-edge research contributing to the transformation of Africa into a knowledge-based, innovation-led continent and the transformation of African lives through science.

Vector Borne Diseases

Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Burkina Faso

Malaria continues to pose a serious threat in most African countries because of the spread of insecticide resistance. New biocontrol tools like fungal pathogens of mosquitoes have garnered much recent interest because of their potential to kill mosquitoes through direct contact with them.

Using a combination of laboratory and semi-field experiments, Dr. Etienne Bilgo’s research will aim to operationalize vector control tools based on fungi. In addition, during the project Dr. Etienne will analyse stakeholders’ hopes and concerns about these fungi for malaria and dengue control. The current project will give an opportunity to train postgraduate students, young researchers and vector control officers on emerging biotechnologies for vector control.

Dr Etienne Bilgo is a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher and the International Wellcome Trust Training Fellow from the Joint Parasitology and Medical Entomology lab of IRSS / Centre Muraz in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2018 in Applied Biological Sciences, Medical Entomology.

Dr Bilgo is focusing his research on emerging mosquito control biotechnologies and their integration to the existing arsenal of vector control strategies against Malaria and Dengue. He has presented his works in international conferences and won international Fellowships, awards.

Project: Innovative vector control strategies using entomopathogenic fungi for safe and reliable control of mosquitoes that transmit malaria and Dengue virus

Additional vector control tools are urgently needed to eradicate Malaria, Dengue and other Vector Borne- Diseases (VBD) in Africa. I recently characterized native strains of entomopathogenic fungi (Metarhizium pingshaense) from Burkina Faso. In bioassays, these fungi showed unprecedented virulence and entomopathogenicity against mosquitoes. This work lays a foundation for innovative fungal-based strategies for safe and reliable VBD control. However, several fundamental and applied questions remain about the practical use of these fungi for vector control.

1) Many of these local fungi were isolated from mosquitoes. What are the specific strategies they use to overcome mosquitoes? This information will help plan how best to deploy these fungi so that they are effective in the long-term.

2) Can these fungal strains be used synergistically with current vector control tools (i.e., chemical insecticides)?

3) Could Metarhizum strains be combined with other emerging vector control strategies e.g., Wolbachia for Dengue virus control?

4) What are the local stakeholder hopes and concerns about the fungal based strategies for Malaria and Dengue control?

Using a combination of classical and novel approaches, Dr. Etienne BILGO will investigate the practical utility of one or more strains of Burkinabe Metarhizium against the vectors of malaria and dengue. The most significant possible outcome of the current project will be a reduction of malaria and Dengue as a result of interrupting transmission of the target human pathogens.

Drug discovery

Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT), Tunisia

Drug discovery in biomedical research in Africa is characterised with high cost, long duration and complexity. Introducing computational approaches, namely bioinformatics and artificial intelligence results in higher performances, lower costs and faster outcomes of the process. Dr Harigua’s research consists in implementing a platform for computer-aided drug discovery that combines bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, biology and biochemistry to identify novel therapeutics against Leishmaniases and Malaria.

Dr Emna Harigua is a researcher at the Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT) in Tunisia. She did her Ph. D at Institut Pasteur in Paris (France) in collaboration with the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (IPT). She defended her Ph. D in 2016 and her doctoral work focused on the identification of novel anti-Leishmania molecules using computer-aided drug discovery approaches, along with the development of novel approaches for protein surface mapping.

Dr Harigua has the long-term aspiration of mastering cutting-edge technologies that combine bioinformatics and artificial intelligence to advance the field of computer-aided drug discovery with a clear focus on infectious diseases of interest to the African communities. She also advocates for women in STEM mentoring and open science.

Project: BIND: Bioinformatics and artificial intelligence for Infectious Diseases drug discovery research platform

Through the BIND project, Dr Harigua will capitalise on her expertise in bioinformatics, artificial intelligence and drug discovery to deliver novel therapeutics against Leishmaniases and Malaria. A multi-disciplinary platform associating cutting-edge computational technologies, namely bioinformatics, molecular modelling and artificial intelligence to experimental validation of the identified drug candidates will be implemented. The proposed approach aims at enhancing the drug discovery process, making it faster, less costly and more efficient. High throughput virtual screenings will be performed to identify novel inhibitors of key proteins of the parasites and molecular docking simulations will be used to decipher protein-ligand interactions and mechanisms associated with multi-drug resistance. This innovative project is an elegant approach to tackle the need for novel therapeutics against diseases heavily affecting the African continent.

Plant Biotechnology

National Centre for Research, Sudan

The demand for alternative and enhanced food production mechanisms to sustain the growing African population has led to the increased manufacture of synthetic N-fertilizers and thus, contributing heavily to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

Dr Abdellatef’s research aims to establish an eco-friendly production system for indigenous African Cereals (Sorghum and Pearl Millet) through developing efficient nutrient uptake cultivars/ability of N-fixation and replacing the N-fertilizers by cereals-specific bio-fertilizers that contain active plant-beneficial microbes.

Dr Abdellatef is a scientist at the Commission for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, National centre for Research, Sudan. He obtained his PhD from the Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany in 2015 and has more than 25 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals (+1080 citations).

He is actively contributing to harnessing the applications of advanced biotechnology for meeting agricultural development challenges, utilization and conservation of plant genetic resources including advanced molecular biology techniques in a wide range of crops (Barley, Maize, Sesame and Chickpea). He contributes strongly to teaching biosciences, supervision and mentoring of postgraduate and undergraduate students.

The Project title: MetaGenomics-Led Harnessing of the African Orphan Cereals-Rhizosphere-Microbiota for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Sub Saharan Africa (AfCerRhMic)

The impact of climate change on agriculture, the food system, and the macro economy, is expected to be immediate, negative, and devastating in SSA than the global average. This is caused by the prevailing environmental conditions, less diversified and poor rural economies, and the low level of agricultural development despite the sector's importance in generating export revenues and income. The AfCerRhMic project aims to reduce the GHG emissions from agricultural activities using innovative technologies to improve the nutrients uptake efficiency and N-fixation ability of the African Orphan Cereals.

Marine Paleoenvironments

University of Ghana, Ghana

Oyster populations in Africa have declined significantly over the last five decades with chances of the fishery collapsing if the cause of the decline is not understood and addressed. The growth of oysters is dependent on temperature, salinity, and the pH of their environment. Any change in these conditions is likely to affect their growth and reproduction. The project aims to understand past changes in the temperature, salinity, and pH regimes of the habitat of the West African Mangrove oyster to reconstruct their past environment and to inform a sustainable future for African inshore fisheries.

Dr. Edem Mahu is a Royal Society Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences of the University. She obtained her Ph.D. in Oceanography (Biogeochemistry) from the University of Ghana in 2014. Her postdoctoral research focuses on understanding past and present climatic and non-climatic factors driving C. tulipa population declines in the Gulf of Guinea and propose ways to improve its resilience and adaptive capacity to these stressors.

Dr. Mahu’s long-term aspiration is to be a leader in the field paleoenvironment research in Africa, develop the capacity of African scientists in this field and unleash the potential of this powerful tool to address important challenges in the fields of ecology, biology, and conservation.

Project: Oyster Shell Models for Hindcasting Holocene Environmental Conditions in Equatorial Atlantic Coastal Waters of Africa

Oyster shell chemistry is a powerful tool for reconstructing past changes in their environment. The δ18O and δ13C composition of their shell can be used to decipher past environmental salinity, temperature, and pH. However, before isotope-based techniques are applied to any archaeological material, it is necessary to understand how reliably modern representatives of the respective species record their environment, to quantify offsets to generalized isotopic equilibrium. This information is completely lacking for the C. tulipa. This major gap limits the utilization of C. tulipa Sclerochemistry in paleoenvironmental research, which is important for managing its fisheries, mitigating climate change, and broadening our understanding of past and evolving human-environment relationships. This project will provide understanding into the controls on δ18O and δ13C of modern shell carbonate of the C. tulipa, to quantify offsets to isotopic equilibrium. Results will be used to derive vital information such as growth patterns/rates and reconstruct past environmental regimes of the C. tulipa and other marine resources to inform a sustainable future for African inshore fisheries.

Viruses and infectious diseases

Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale, D.R.Congo

The Ebola virus’ high transmissibility and the limited knowledge about its aetiology makes it one of the most dangerous viruses causing a dramatic haemorrhagic disease with a high mortality rate in some African countries. Dr. Kasumba’s research will investigate how the Ebola virus overcomes our immune system and counter-acts recently approved treatments. 

Dr. Dacquin Kasumba is an ARISE fellow and a Lead Immunologist at the Institut National de Recherche Biomedical (INRB) in D.R.Congo. He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Immunology from Kyoto University (Japan) in 2017. His doctoral work focused on clarifying and exploiting immune responses against respiratory viruses such as Influenza H5N1.

Dr Kasumba's long-term objectives are to establish, in DRC, a highly specialized and equipped molecular and cellular immunology niche that will allow profound investigations of zoonosis or pathogens with zoonotic potentials to better understand, treat and prevent infectious diseases through adapted diagnostics tools, therapies and vaccines. Doing this also includes training young African scientists. As a result, it is expected that such an endeavour will help shape national and continental policies on infectious diseases and health.

Project: Investigating factors associated with Ebola virus disease outcome in patients receiving monoclonal antibody therapies

Since 1976, Ebola virus diseases (EVD) have sporadically emerged in Africa. Over four decades, there have been more than twenty-five outbreaks with the majority being in central Africa, particularly in D.R.Congo. Recent years have seen an increased frequency of emergence of this disease of zoonotic origin. EVD is highly contagious and deadly, hence its heavy toll on local communities and economies.

With its high death rate, EVD was considered a fatality until recent discoveries of neutralizing monoclonal antibody therapies. These EBOV-specific therapies have a strong capacity to neutralize the virus and cure the disease in a significant number of diseased patients or subjects, but not all.

We hypothesized that virus intrinsic factors can “reshuffle” the immune response of infected hosts, thereby remodelling immune protection in some patients, and leading to treatment failure in some patients. We will evaluate viral/host (patient) factors determining the outcome of the disease (succumbed/survived). As a result, this project will drive the improvement of recently proposed and approved EVD treatments (monoclonal antibodies) to allow the saving of more, if not all patients. This project will also improve our understanding of EVD thereby enhancing our ability to elucidate the zoonotic causes of this microbe.

Nanotechnology, Formulation and Medicinal Chemistry

University of Kinshasa, D.R. Congo

Bananas and plantain are one of the most important staple foods worldwide, and their plantations are essentially based in tropical areas and rainforests throughout Africa, thus playing a crucial role in food security as an important component of the local diet in many countries. Being perennial plants that replace themselves, banana and plantain plants generate huge waste biomass that is currently explored as fertilizers and animal feeds to avoid harmful ecological effects.

Dr Nkanga’s research sets out to exploit banana and plantain waste as valuable sources of medically relevant chemical products. The project aims to use and implement green nanoengineering tools to transform bananas waste into new products that can effectively kill microbes for sanitization of surfaces and wound/burn healing.

Dr Christian I. Nkanga is a SACI Postgraduate Medal awardee (2017), Novartis Next Generation Scientist (2018), DST/NRF Innovation awardee (2017, 2020), BEBUC scholar (2015-2019) and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at University of Kinshasa, D.R. Congo.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Rhodes University (South Africa) in 2019, and his doctoral research focused on nanoparticles for antimicrobial drug delivery – thesis titled: “pH-Responsive Liposomal Systems for Site-Specific Pulmonary Delivery of Anti-Tubercular Drugs”. In 2020, Dr Nkanga undertook postdoctoral research in the Department of Nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego (USA), where he worked on plant virus nanotechnology for development of biomedical nanoparticles as COVID-19 vaccines and nanomedicines against cancers.

Dr Nkanga’s sight is to explore the African natural wealth to seek for and implement new materials that can be used to make high-value nanoparticles for medical applications. He aims to advance nanotechnology in Africa, train young African minds in nanoscience, and conduct cutting-edge and translational research and product development to improve human health and simultaneously prepare Africa to become one of the leading continents for nanomedicines raw materials supply.

Project: Antimicrobial biogenic nanocomposite formulations from banana and plantain plants (Musa spp.)

The project objective is to formulate biogenic nanoparticles (NPs) from Musa plants waste into micelles made from extracted plant metabolites for enhanced antimicrobial activities, tackling broad spectrum microbes, microbial resistance and fighting disease spreads. Biogenic synthesis from plants has already been established, but what the scientific community has not yet capitalized upon is the fact that naturally occurring self-assemblies can entrap biogenic nanoparticles to yield composite formulations. This composite will be easily formulated as disinfectant/antiseptic topical dosage forms; and for dermatological applications (e.g., wound healing). In addition, the project aims to elucidate and exploit the molecular composition of biogenic nanoparticles and implement nanoengineering processing as a bioprospecting approach for green discovery of new naturally occurring drugs and important biomolecules, such as proteins and carbohydrates that could be explored for various applications from across drug delivery, dietetics to textile industry.

Anti-tick and tick-pathogen transmission-blocking recombinant protein-based vaccines

National Livestock Resources Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Organization, Uganda.

Ticks continue to be a major reservoir and vector of a broad range of pathogens that cause diseases in animals in Africa. In this study, Dr Ndawula is keen on East Coast fever (ECF), a devastating disease affecting cattle in Africa. Dr Ndawula’s research aims to develop recombinant protein-based vaccines with a potential to block the ECF-pathogen development and/or transmission in ticks.

Dr Ndawula Charles is an ARISE fellow and currently a Researcher affiliated to the Vaccinology program of the National Livestock Resources Research Institute, under the National Agricultural Research Organization in Uganda.

In 2019 he obtained his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Federal University of Rio Grade do Sul, Center of Biotechnology, Porto Alegre Brazil.  His Ph.D. research work was focused on developing cocktail protein-based vaccines with potential to cross-protect cattle against multiple tick species infestation, which is a common problem in Africa.

Dr Ndawula’s long-term aspiration is to develop alternative tools for control of vectors and vector-borne diseases that affect livestock and or humans. Currently, his focus is on developing recombinant vaccines that interfere ticks and their ability to transmit pathogens to humans and/or animals. He also aims to train and inspire Laboratory Technicians and young scientists from Uganda and Africa at large, as well as to contribute to establishment of a better tick research environment in Uganda.

Project: Development of Theileria parva transmission blocking universal vaccines: toward control of East Coast fever cattle-disease

East Coast fever (ECF) is caused by Theileria parva which is transmitted to the cattle during blood-feeding of the brown ear ticks (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus). Although ECF is devastating, over time field cattle (e.g., Zebu, Boran, Ankole) and buffalo native to Africa acquire immunity against tick infestation and ECF. Therefore, this project aims to identify tick and ECF-pathogen (T. parva) proteins that induce immune protection in cattle and buffalo. The protein gene-coding sequences will be used for developing recombinant proteins which will be mixed with adjuvant and administered to cattle. The vaccines will act by inducing antibodies that will neutralize the ECF-pathogens in cattle and ticks, hence blocking their transmission and development. And those that affect the tick feeding. The vaccines will significantly contribute to reduction of ECF and ECF-pathogen infected ticks and the overall tick population, hence contributing to control of ECF toward increased livestock production. Because the vaccines are not infective, and are based on conserved immunogens, they could cross-protect against all ECF-pathogen strains, hence applicable to all ECF affected areas.

Research Area:

Host Organisation and Country:

University of Eswatini (UNESWA) – Eswatini

African countries continue to face shortages of vegetables and fruits leading to high importation. In order to reduce this importation, intensified domestic production is essential to cushion prices of fruits and vegetables during the post Covid-19 pandemic. The subsistent low technology mode of fruit and vegetable production can be stimulated through the application of plant biotechnology production techniques to enhance smallholder agriculture productivity. Dr. Celimphilo’s research will investigate how plant biotechnology techniques can be harnessed to enhance smallholder agripreneurs.

Dr. Celimphilo Shakes Mavuso is a Lecturer in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Eswatini in the Kingdom of Eswatini. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Plant Science from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), Taiwan in 2017 after successfully conducting field and laboratory experiments focusing on genetic diversity analysis of Jatropha curcas L. and improvement using plant tissue culture techniques to support the productivity initiatives of the biodiesel industry in Taiwan.

The plant biotechnology project by Dr. Celimphilo Shakes Mavuso aims to fully utilize plant tissue culture and available equipment from the University of Eswatini, Horticulture Department in integrating its activities to boost rural production of clean planting materials of clonally propagated and micro propagated plants. In the long term the project aims to support and encourage Eswatini’s smallholder farmers participation commercially through reduced high quality seedlings costs.

Project: Harnessing Plant Biotechnology Techniques for the Upliftment of Smallholder Agripreneurs in Eswatini

The seedling production project will delve into the prioritization and promotion of plant tissue cultured vegetable seedling production and supply to Eswatini smallholder vegetable and fruit farmers. The Principal Investigator (PI) will promote the adoption and use of technological tunnel production which uses smart agriculture practices like automated scheduled irrigation. In the long term the project will also focus on development of science of both genetic reserve and on in situ conservation while ensuring that its implementation is sensitive to the needs of local communities and is also linked to the requirements of the germplasm user community specifically in native seed supply and re-introduction of endangered and extinct plant species that support human and animal health. The project will also look into floriculture improvement in Eswatini and focus on micro propagation of local flower species for commercial production and export. Through the project, UNESWA will promote establishment of certified commercial plant tissue culture laboratories in Eswatini.

The University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenya

Plastic pollution continues to steadily rise in most African countries causing major negative impacts on health, environment, and economic development of these countries. The plastics readily degrade into microplastics and nanoplastics which can be ingested by marine organisms, transferred to the soil and ultimately to the human body causing far-reaching health issues. Dr. Mutuma’s project will focus on the conversion of plastic waste into low-cost carbon reactors which can then be coupled with metal oxides, products that can be used to degrade nanoplastics from wastewater aided by light (photocatalysis). These products will also be used to detect toxic compounds in air that are associated with lung diseases and increased mortality rates. The application of plastic waste-derived nanomaterials for waste treatment and detection of toxic compounds is economical and provides a solution for sustainable environmental management, health, and wellbeing. The success of this project will provide a solution for reducing plastic pollution whilst providing affordable carbon-based products and devices.

Dr. Bridget Mutuma is a Research Associate in the Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi. She is also an AAS affiliate (Cohort 6) as well as a fellow of the Africa Science Leadership Programme. She has a BSc. degree in Analytical Chemistry from Kenyatta University, (Kenya, 2009), an MSc degree in Material Science and Engineering from Kangwon National University (South Korea, 2013) and a PhD in Chemistry (Nanomaterials) from the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa, 2016). Dr. Mutuma has extensive postdoctoral experience in nanomaterials, sensor technology and energy storage systems. Her research interest is in the development of plastic waste-derived carbon nanomaterials/core-shell nanostructures for use in gas sensors, solar cells, supercapacitors and photocatalysis.

Dr Mutuma aspires to be a leading scientist in the area of sensor technology, photocatalysis and solar energy conversion as she seeks to provide solutions for mitigating plastic and air pollution through innovation and infrastructure development in Africa.

Project: From plastic waste to low-cost carbon nanoreactors for use in monitoring environmental pollutants and nanoplastics

The nanoplastics project aims to assess the distribution of microplastics and nanoplastics from selected cities and coastal ecosystems in Kenya. The plastics and microplastics from the selected areas will be converted into low-cost carbon nanomaterials using environmentally friendly routes. The utilization of plastic waste is an economical way of waste recycling whilst producing value-added materials for sustainable consumption of materials. The use of these carbon nanomaterials (nanoreactors) as catalysts will be applied in the degradation of organic pollutants and nanoplastics providing a platform for decreasing plastic pollution in the cities. The applied holistic strategy will create job opportunities as well as human capacity building through nanotechnology training of postgraduate students. The nanomaterials generated will also be applied in the sensor technology to detect pollutants in the air thus addressing key global environmental challenges. The project will contribute to the transformation of Africa into a knowledge-based and innovation-led continent.

Digital Health

Host Organisation & Country:

University of Cape Town and South Africa

Ineffective healthcare delivery in African countries continues to derail the efforts of advancing health care services to its populace. Dr Bessie Malila’s project goal is to have a platform for evaluating the capabilities of 5G technologies in delivering novel digital health applications and services such as real-time transfer of large health data files, normal/robotic surgery aided by augmented/virtual reality, virtual clinics; evaluating models of designed for rural and remote communities; and modelling 5G smart hospitals which will revolutionize healthcare delivery in Africa. 

Dr Bessie Malila is Junior Research Fellow in the Division of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She obtained her Ph.D. in Telecommunications engineering  in 2017 and her doctoral work focused on 5G technologies. From 2017 to date, her research has focused on the application of 5G technologies in Digital Health, as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Junior Research Fellow in the Division of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cape Town.

Dr Malila’s passion has been on how communication technologies can be leveraged to aid in addressing the challenge of healthcare delivery in Africa. Through the proposed project, she will investigate the feasibility of delivering digital health applications and services using 5G technologies and evaluating and validating the same on a 5G digital health testbed and also through clinical trials in hospitals and clinics in Cape Town.

Project: Development of a secure 5G and beyond digital health test bed for modelling telemedicine systems, mHealth applications and smart hospitals.

Digital health interventions have proved to be cost-effective and capable of bypassing traditional healthcare infrastructures and national regulations. Concerns over security issues, reliability, and reluctance by governments to integrate digital health interventions with healthcare systems have hampered the development of digital health testbeds. However, this is set to change, driven by the emergence of technologies such as 5G, Blockchain, and X-Road; and the need to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Implementation of digital health testbeds is already underway in other parts of the world, but not in Africa. This project aims to apply novel concepts to develop a secured real-world 5G digital health testbed that will provide a platform for testing and evaluating commercially available mHealth applications and medical devices, originally designed for in-person care. The expected impact of the project is the accelerated translation of research results into practical interventions that can help strengthen African healthcare systems.

Genetics and Genomics

University of Rwanda, Rwanda

Genetic and environmental risk factors causing many cases of neurodevelopmental disorders in Africa are generally unknown. Neurodevelopmental disorders occur when complex genetic and environmental factors combine to change brain development. In children, these disorders are usually characterized by impairment in intellectual functioning, reading ability, social skills, memory, attention or focus skills.

Dr Uwineza’s research will use advanced genetic laboratory technics to identity changes in patients’ DNA associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, autism spectrum disorders and microcephaly.

Dr Annette Uwineza is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Clinical Biology at School of Medicine and Pharmacy of the College of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Rwanda. She obtained her PhD in Medical Sciences (Human Genetics) from the University of Liege (Belgium) in 2015 and her doctoral work focused on identifying the genetic aetiologies of intellectual disability in Rwandan patients.

Dr Uwineza’s long aspiration is develop and expand genetic testing in Rwanda population to allow affected families getting genetic diagnosis required to get information about long-term needs, and future family planning.

Project: Genomic and Environmental factors of neurodevelopmental disorders in Rwandan Children

The goal of this project is to identify genomic and environmental factors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders by perfoming whole exome sequencing in affected children, genome wide association studies in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders, then to investigate the infectious and genomic etiology of microcephaly in Rwandan newborns. Our project’s results will alert regional public health stakeholders who may use the information to implement or reinforce existing measures of prevention of microcephaly.

In addition, this project will also allow to develop appropriate assessment tool that suits Rwandan and African system to gather relevant information on various risk factors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Animal nutrition and climate change

Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou (UP), Benin

Feed is the main limiting and most expensive factor in the livestock production system in developing countries. Poor knowledge of the nutritional requirements of local cattle breeds limits the formulation of balanced rations for these animals in West Africa. In fact, even where quality feeding stuffs are available, rations are not well formulated. Thus, local cattle breeds are not properly fed, resulting in lower milk and meat productivity, potential income losses for small-scale farmers as well as feed wastage. In addition, poor feeding of animals causes greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, particularly methane, which contribute to further global warming.

Dr Assani’s research project will develop mobile application to formulate low-cost, climate-sensitive balanced rations from locally available feed resources for small-scale cattle farmers in Benin, Togo and Niger.

Dr Alassan Assani Seidou is an ARISE fellow and Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Production at Faculty of Agronomy (FA), University of Parakou (UP) in Benin. He obtained his Ph.D. in Animal Science and Livestock Systems Modeling from UP in 2017 and his doctoral work focused on sustainable management of pastoral resources in Upper Alibori forest in Northern Benin.

Dr. Assani expects that the ARISE programme will help to develop his career and his becoming an independent leading scientist in Africa. He hopes to contribute to the training of young African scientists.  With outputs from his work, he intends to inform policymakers to enforce regulations on the sustainable livestock sector in sub-Saharan Africa.

Project: Developing mobile application for formulating cost-efficient balanced and climate sensitive rations for improving livelihood of smallholder cattle farmers in West-Africa

Lack of appropriate feeding standards for developing countries is one of the main constraints for further development of feeding management. It is therefore important to study the nutritional requirements of indigenous cattle accurately and to develop an efficient usage method of local feed resources that do not compete with human consumption. This research project will develop a low-cost and climate sensitive balanced ration formulation mobile application from locally available feed resources for small-scale cattle farmers in Benin, Togo and Niger. In addition, this mobile application will be available in the local languages to facilitate its adoption by local livestock farmers. Feeding animals with balanced rations to meet the actual nutrient requirements of beef and dairy cattle at different stages of production will increase milk and meat yields and incomes for small-scale cattle farmers and reduce feed wastage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This innovation will improve the living conditions for millions of farmers in West-Africa.

Research domain:

Capacities for science and higher education

Institut Supérieur des Mines et Géologie de Boké, Guinea

Artisanal Gold Mining (AGM) which is practiced by millions of people in Africa suffers from practices based on the absence of planning, the use of rudimentary tools and the uncontrolled use of toxic chemicals. Dr Konaté’s research will provide artisanal miners with the essential practical basis for better management of mining techniques as well as to identify and prevent the risks involved in maximizing the recovery of gold using inexpensive, accessible processes requiring less effort while ensuring environmentally sustainable development.

Dr Ahmed Amara Konaté is a 2022 ARISE fellow, and is a senior researcher, lecturer, and assistant professor at the Higher Institute of Mines and Geology of Boké in Guinea. Education wise, he received is PhD in Applied geophysics from China university of Geoscience (CUG-Wuhan) in 2015 and earned his habitation in Geological Resources and Geological Engineering from CUG-Wuhan (in 2017). Dr Konaté’s current research looks to develop new approaches on the resolution of environmental and societal issues related to mining activities in West African States.

Project: Multi-scale study of artisanal gold mining processes in West Africa for developing better safe practices

The Mining Environment project that he is developing aims through a multidisciplinary approach (Mining, Hydrogeology, Geophysics, Geotechnics,...) to allow an objective characterization of the impacts and their evolution over time, and to improve AGM techniques. Multiscale satellite imagery analysis, laboratory and pilot scale studies will be used to develop an AGM model that is profitable, secure and environmentally friendly. In full expansion, AGM suffers from practices based on the absence of planning, the use of rudimentary tools and the uncontrolled use of toxic chemicals. There is no quantitative data on the impact on the environment due to AGM. The knowledge resulting from this research will help improve the management of AGM and should ultimately be able to provide solutions to promote smoother gold mining, with less impact on the environment. The methodologies that will be developed during this research will be extrapolated to different sites in West Africa in collaboration with researchers working in these areas. This work will also allow a transfer of knowledge from the academic world to public authorities, and gold miners, and will allow a transfer of skills and integration into the universities working within the ACE Partner.

We are located at: 8 Miotoni Lane, Karen, Nairobi Kenya.

©1985- 2024 African Academy of Sciences. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

Research Topics

Faculty, students, researchers and visiting scholars at UC Berkeley engage in a wide range of research on Africa. Politics, public health, conflict, human rights, environment, conservation, climate change, technology, religion and languages are just some of the areas covered. Over time, we will add various ways to explore the research done by UC Berkeley scholars. Currently, you can browse recent  Rocca Fellowship Awards ,  faculty profiles  and  CAS research activity . Below are links to scholars working in various African countries. We are constantly updating geo-coding.

Loading metrics

Open Access

Ten simple rules for successful and sustainable African research collaborations

* E-mail: [email protected] (RDD); [email protected] (YAY)

Affiliation Rinda Ubuzima, Kigali, Rwanda

Affiliation Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Affiliation Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Faculty of Sciences, Federal University Otuoke, Otuoke, Nigeria

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Critical Care, Tiruneshi Beijing General Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Affiliation Internal Medicine Department, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

Affiliation Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

Affiliation Department of Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Health, Public Health U–The Ulrich and Ruth Frank Foundation, Bethel, Minnesota, United States of America

Affiliation Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kisumu, Kenya

Affiliation Department of Management Science, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

Affiliation Discover Africa Thru Technology, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Affiliation Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Sokoto, Nigeria

• Roseline Dzekem Dine, 
• Lamis Yahia Mohamed Elkheir, 
• Morufu Olalekan Raimi, 
• Micheal Alemayehu, 
• Salem Youssef Mohamed, 
• Justice Kwadwo Turzin, 
• Femi Qudus Arogundade, 
• Elizabeth Akinyi Ochola, 
• Alex Mukungu Nasiyo, 

Published: June 27, 2024

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012197
• Reader Comments

Citation: Dine RD, Elkheir LYM, Raimi MO, Alemayehu M, Mohamed SY, Turzin JK, et al. (2024) Ten simple rules for successful and sustainable African research collaborations. PLoS Comput Biol 20(6): e1012197. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012197

Editor: Russell Schwartz, Carnegie Mellon University, UNITED STATES

Copyright: © 2024 Dine et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

Collaborative research consists of an equal partnership of researchers from diverse backgrounds who pursue mutually interesting and beneficial questions to achieve a common purpose via the coordination of activities and the sharing of knowledge, competencies, resources, and information, resulting in new scientific knowledge [ 1 , 2 ]. Hence, research collaboration could involve a continuum of organisational levels ranging from individual researchers to institutions, organisations, or even communities from different disciplines and geographical locations [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]. The quick expansion in international collaboration frameworks is primarily fostered by enhanced access to funding, sharing and standardisation of methodological expertise, and opportunities that increase the global impact and integrity of research findings [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]. Research outcomes from international cooperation contribute effectively to global stability, security, and prosperity. It also fosters equal opportunities by ensuring that communities are represented in global policies, particularly those related to health and sustainable development [ 7 ].

Historically, research within African countries was predominantly conducted by researchers from the Global North, often involving brief periods of fieldwork without establishing long-term collaborations [ 8 ]. However, African countries are currently experiencing a significant surge in both national and international collaborations, reflecting a shift towards more equitable and sustained research partnerships [ 9 ]. This change is driven by the continent’s unique research potential, offering opportunities not found elsewhere. To fully leverage these opportunities for global research and ensure African researchers’ contributions are recognised and integrated within the international scientific community, it is essential to outline key steps that foster effective partnerships. Recognising the evolving landscape of research in Africa, we propose solutions aimed at scaling meaningful collaboration with African researchers, ensuring mutual benefit and enhancing the impact of their work [ 10 , 11 ]. It is through such strategies that we can bridge historical gaps in collaboration and support a new era of inclusive and impactful scientific research.

Rule 1: Understand Africa

Embarking on research within Africa requires an in-depth comprehension of its diverse geographical, social, economic, and political landscapes. Recognising Africa’s diversity is crucial, given its status as a continent with 54 United Nations-recognized countries, each distinct in culture, governance, and socioeconomic conditions, along with 2 independent states (Western Sahara and Somaliland) and several territories. This complexity is further nuanced by the region’s cultural diversity, which influences research methodologies, collaborations, and communication. To this end, understanding and managing cultural diversity effectively is beneficial and necessary for conducting meaningful research [ 12 , 13 ]. This understanding extends to recognising how local and regional conflicts, such as those in Tigray, Ethiopia, can significantly impact research endeavours. The effects of armed conflicts on the environment and indigenous farming systems, as highlighted by recent studies [ 14 – 17 ], underscore the need for researchers to be aware of and adapt to the realities on the ground. Additionally, North-South research collaborations, particularly in conflict and humanitarian contexts, face unique challenges and inequities that must be navigated with care and respect for all parties involved [ 15 ].

In light of these considerations, researchers are encouraged to engage deeply with the geographical, social, economic, and political contexts of their chosen research locales within Africa. This comprehensive understanding is fundamental to respecting local knowledge, identifying potential barriers, and possessing the requisite expertise to ensure research is conducted in a manner sensitive to local interests, needs, and priorities. Such an approach fosters sustainable development and guarantees that research activities are conducted ethically and equitably.

Rule 2: Instil regular and open communication strategies

Effective research collaboration is enhanced by embracing and utilising a blend of communication strategies that combine the immediate access provided by virtual tools with the depth offered by in-person interactions. This multifaceted approach not only overcomes geographical and logistical hurdles but also enriches the collaborative process by integrating diverse cultural insights, thereby boosting mutual understanding and driving innovation across international teams [ 18 ]. By adopting robust communication strategies, collaborations address both practical and socio-emotional aspects, ensuring that all participants, irrespective of their geographical or cultural backgrounds, are fully engaged and contributing meaningfully to the project’s success. Effective and open communication is pivotal in cultivating a spirit of cooperation and fostering a culture of shared understanding and respect, which are essential for the success of international collaborations [ 19 ]. Virtual platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc. (summarized in Table 1 ) are indispensable for bridging geographical and logistical barriers, enabling researchers from varied locations to participate in discussions, share data, and collectively drive projects forward [ 20 ]. Moreover, virtual collaboration is extensively used to organise workshops, conferences, and seminars, hence, expanding participation opportunities beyond the usual travel and visa constraints. When managed effectively, virtual teams are efficient and reliable. Virtual communications yield productive results with reduced conflict, showcasing the potential of blended communication approaches to enhance the dynamics of research collaborations [ 20 , 21 ].

• PPT PowerPoint slide
• PNG larger image
• TIFF original image

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012197.t001

Despite the advantages of virtual interactions, face-to-face interactions foster a level of collaboration fidelity that virtual tools have yet to match, particularly in environments rich in cultural nuances like Africa, where personal relationships significantly influence professional collaborations [ 20 ]. These interactions provide a unique space for spontaneous idea exchange, mentorship, and cultivating a shared vision and goals. Physical meetings also offer invaluable opportunities for cultural exchange and establishing deeper trust and understanding, crucial for fostering long-term partnerships and mutual respect. Acknowledging the challenges inherent in organising such meetings, including visa restrictions and logistical hurdles, underscores the need for meticulous planning, flexibility, and proactive communication with all stakeholders involved. Early coordination with collaborating organisations, conference organisers, and local governmental bodies can mitigate these challenges, ensuring meaningful participation from all collaborators.

Integrating hybrid models that combine virtual and physical participation can offer the best of both worlds, maximising engagement and adaptability. This approach is especially beneficial when travel is limited, or participants face scheduling conflicts. Ensuring open and transparent communication across all mediums is vital. Establishing a regular rhythm of updates and feedback is essential, allowing all team members to feel equally involved and valued. The culture of open communication should extend to decision-making processes, ensuring that all collaborators have an equal say in the direction and outcomes of the research. By embracing a dynamic and inclusive approach to communication, research collaborations can achieve greater depth, resilience, and productivity.

Rule 3: Exchange research materials and resources responsibly

The disparity in resources between different regions of the globe is a significant barrier hindering research collaborations to tackle global challenges. African researchers often face substantial challenges due to limited or no funding, poor infrastructure, difficulties accessing advanced research materials and tools, and lack of databases and open data or software. This makes it challenging to conduct research and contribute to global scientific progress [ 22 ].

Exchanging valuable materials and tools between researchers worldwide offers a solution that provides both African researchers and their collaborators with access to resources not readily available to each other locally. The sharing of unique knowledge from the African continent enriches global research initiatives in areas like climate change, genotyping, sequencing, infectious diseases, and natural resource management [ 23 ]. Such collaboration not only fosters ethical and equitable partnerships but also ensures that African researchers are recognized as full partners, thus, safeguarding the rights and interests of all stakeholders involved in the projects. This approach deepens research impact and promotes mutual respect among international research communities.

Furthermore, collaborations promoting sustainable development should focus on addressing local needs, ensuring that benefits are equitably distributed and not solely favouring researchers from more developed regions. The Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative is a good example of this principle in action [ 24 ]. It spearheads health-related genomic research across Africa and supports the development of biorepositories in countries like Uganda, South Africa, and Nigeria through its affiliated network, H3ABioNet [ 25 ]. This infrastructure provides African researchers with essential resources and data and positions them to lead impactful research projects.

In addition to exchanging materials and tools, collaboration between African researchers and those from other parts of the world could involve joint research projects, mentorship programs, and training initiatives. These initiatives can help African researchers build skills and expertise while contributing to research projects of global importance. It is worth noting that in most cases, research projects with investigators outside the continent are held in high esteem and are published in prestigious journals.

Rule 4: Support pan-African research

Collaboration among African countries remains limited, especially when compared to partnerships with more developed regions such as Europe, Asia, and America. This highlights a critical need for growth within the continent. Enhancing intra-African cooperation is vital as it offers a platform for sharing insights from diverse projects, leading to greater overall benefits and fostering sustainable relationships among projects, individuals, and organisations. Supporting pan-African research by investing in training and upgrading technology in research institutes across Africa would significantly improve research networking and collaboration. Given the continent’s diversity and the geographical proximity of its countries, there is a unique opportunity to address common challenges through collaborative research. Such cooperation can leverage similarities in disease prevalence, dietary habits, and cultural practices, facilitating easier movement of people and resources and driving collective advancement in African research and development.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded H3ABioNet consortium, a pan-African initiative, has significantly advanced skills in human genetics and sequencing across Africa [ 24 ]. This exemplifies how researchers and institutions within the continent could collaborate more effectively on similar projects, optimising the limited financial and material resources available. Such structured collaborative efforts not only enhance technical capabilities but also develop the soft skills essential for successful partnerships, as evidenced by programs like the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and H3Africa.

Further exemplifying successful intra-continental collaboration is the partnership involving NIH, Wellcome Trust, the African Academy of Science (AAS), the Global Health: Science and Practice Journal, and H3Africa. This coalition has developed models and infrastructure that promote sustainable collaboration, equitable resource distribution, capacity building, and co-funding throughout Africa [ 25 , 26 ]. Additionally, initiatives like the African BioGenome Project (AfricaBP) aim to expand genomic and bioinformatics capabilities across the continent, demonstrating the vast potential for collaborative projects to build capacity and deliver tangible benefits for Africans [ 27 ].

For initiatives like these to thrive, it is crucial to secure increased support from African governments, regional organisations like the African Union, and international partners, including foreign governments, institutions, and foundations. Enhanced collaboration among African researchers and institutions can lead to a deeper understanding of the unique challenges presented by diseases such as COVID-19 within the African context. Such insights are essential for transforming the research landscape of African institutions. With improved research capabilities, African researchers can contribute more effectively to global efforts, such as vaccine research studies, ensuring vaccine development and distribution are conducted sustainably, justly, and equitably.

Rule 5: Promote equity and inclusion

Promoting equity and inclusion in collaborative research in Africa is crucial for addressing the complex challenges faced by the continent. Research collaborations that leverage diverse expertise and resources are essential to effectively inform policy and practices. However, achieving this requires that all participants have equal access to opportunities and resources, enabling them to contribute meaningfully regardless of their diverse backgrounds or levels of experience. This would value each collaborator’s input and enrich research outcomes with various perspectives, leading to more innovative and comprehensive solutions to complex issues. Thus, fostering an equitable and inclusive environment in research collaborations is indispensable for leveraging the full spectrum of ideas and achieving groundbreaking advancements.

The Cape Town Statement, with its 20 recommendations for ethical research, underscores the necessity of embedding fairness, equity, and the acknowledgment of indigenous knowledge within the research ecosystem [ 28 ]. This initiative aims to correct the imbalance where, typically, high-income countries benefit disproportionately compared to their low- and middle-income counterparts in terms of authorship, career progression, and control over research priorities and outputs [ 29 ]. For instance, a recent study found that a significant portion of COVID-19 research related to Africa featured non-African authors taking the lead, spotlighting the urgent need for greater local involvement in scientific publications. This situation underscores the broader necessity for journals to actively incorporate local perspectives, particularly in research that impacts regions like Africa, thereby advancing equity and fairness [ 30 ]. Hence, the Cape Town framework aims to create a more equitable research environment by ensuring fair participation and acknowledgment across all research stages.

Despite these guidelines, challenges persist. Notably, the unequal distribution of resources and the need for low- and middle-income countries to prioritise research funding to reduce reliance on high-income country donations [ 31 ]. Cultural and linguistic diversity, while enriching, can also pose barriers to inclusive collaboration due to differences in communication, beliefs, and research practices [ 32 ]. Overcoming these obstacles is crucial for fostering a research landscape where equity and inclusion are at the forefront, enhancing the quality and impact of collaborative research efforts across Africa.

Cultural norms and hierarchical structures, particularly in Africa, can significantly influence power dynamics within research collaborations, which can stifle innovation by limiting diverse perspectives. This is often seen in the reverence for elders and authority figures, which might discourage younger researchers, women, or individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds from voicing their opinions or challenging established ideas. Encouraging participation across career stages—from early-career scientists to seasoned experts—and fostering a mentorship culture can help cultivate a more vibrant and inclusive scientific community. Moreover, cultural differences across Africa can affect how research is conducted and interpreted. For instance, some cultures may prioritise privacy, influencing research methodologies and data analysis, while others may favour openness, affecting the transparency and sharing of research findings. Addressing these cultural variances is crucial for promoting equity and inclusion within collaborations [ 33 ]. Developing research methods, communication strategies, and training programs sensitive to cultural nuances can ensure that research collaborations are more inclusive and equitable.

By establishing partnerships based on shared values like mutual respect, trust, and social justice and actively embracing diversity, research collaborations in Africa can become more inclusive and equitable. This approach not only enriches the research process but also ensures that the innovations and outcomes derived from these collaborations are more robust and reflective of the diverse perspectives across the continent.

Rule 6: Incorporate a capacity-building component

Emphasising capacity building is fundamental for fostering equitable and effective research collaborations. This entails not just the personal development of individuals through training and mentorship but also strengthening institutional capabilities by enhancing access to the latest knowledge, advanced equipment, and essential resources. To ensure comprehensive capacity building, every research collaboration proposal must include a detailed plan on how these aspects will be developed and supported.

Beyond individual skill enhancement, capacity building encompasses staff exchanges that provide valuable exposure to diverse research environments and methodologies [ 34 ]. These exchanges, facilitated through partnerships between institutions and supported by international research bodies, are instrumental in transferring critical knowledge and expertise across regions. They also serve to forge lasting relationships among researchers from varied backgrounds, laying the groundwork for sustained collaboration and mutual learning.

To truly realise the benefits of capacity building, funding applications must explicitly outline strategies for improving individual skills, institutional resources, and overall research infrastructure. This includes ensuring access to cutting-edge technology, updating research methodologies, and securing the materials necessary for groundbreaking research. By strategically allocating resources and funding, we can establish sustainable collaborations that are mutually beneficial and geared towards achieving long-lasting impact and relevance in the scientific community.

Incorporating a comprehensive capacity-building component into research collaborations, as recommended by Haelewaters and colleagues [ 2 ], is indispensable for advancing equitable, inclusive, and impactful research endeavours. This approach elevates the research process and contributes significantly to the global body of knowledge, ensuring a brighter future for African research and beyond.

Rule 7: Follow standard publication guidelines

Clear and transparent guidelines for publishing collaborative research are essential for fostering meaningful collaboration with African researchers. Such guidelines can help ensure that all researchers know their roles and responsibilities and can help promote fair and equitable authorship. Before starting a collaboration, researchers should develop a publication policy outlining authorship criteria, authors’ order, and each author’s responsibilities. The publication policy should be communicated to all researchers involved in the collaboration, including students, postdocs, and other trainees. It should be clear that all researchers must follow the policy, and violations should not be tolerated. This proactive approach prevents misunderstandings and conflicts by clarifying contributions and authorship order from the outset to ensure that publications resulting from such collaborations give credit to all contributors fairly, equitably, and respectfully.

Throughout the collaboration, all researchers should communicate openly and transparently about their research findings, data generated, and analyses. Any disagreements or concerns should be addressed early to avoid conflicts later in the process. A robust data management plan is also vital, detailing how data will be collected, analysed, stored, and shared, ideally in a secure, accessible, open-source location for transparency and future reference ( Table 1 ).

Additionally, it is crucial to consider the strategic policies and regulations of each collaborating entity, such as organisation, nation, group, or country, and to align these with the overall goals and values of the project. Early discussions with collaborators about the collaboration’s objectives, responsibilities, and values foster a foundation of trust and mutual respect, which are necessary for sustainable and equitable partnerships. This strategic alignment and accountability are particularly important in ensuring that collaborations do not merely serve external interests but genuinely promote and enhance the involvement of African researchers, addressing the historical underrepresentation of researchers from developing countries in scientific publications [ 35 ]. This accountability should also extend to study participants to ensure that they are treated fairly and provided with all the details of the study and properly acknowledged in all publications [ 36 ].

Rule 8: Make a data-sharing and management plan

Open and transparent data-sharing and management plans are crucial in building trust in research collaborations, especially when working across different cultures and regions where there may be differences in research practices and ethical standards. Sharing data can also help improve research quality by allowing for greater scrutiny and validation of results. This is especially important when researching complex and interdisciplinary topics involving multiple datasets and methods. Therefore, all collaborators should write and agree upon a data management plan with clear guidelines and protocols for data sharing and ownership. This is key to ensuring that research findings are protected, easily retrieved, and shared over the long term.

An effective data management and sharing plan should adhere to the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) principle, ensuring that generated data is handled with high standards of accessibility and usability [ 37 ]. Thus, the data management plan must outline the types of data to be shared, the methods of sharing these data, and each collaborator’s specific roles and responsibilities in managing the data. The plan should also address the consequences of any breaches, such as the unauthorised sharing of participants’ data.

To ensure that the data is shared securely and ethically, the plan must comply with relevant data protection regulations and ethical standards. This includes utilising the appropriate data-sharing platforms and tools, such as secure data-sharing platforms and repositories, to safeguard the data effectively ( Table 1 ). Moreover, universities and funders are encouraged to support Open Data initiatives, facilitating easier access to data for African researchers. This is needed to give equal rights and opportunities to promote accountable and sustainable research for every researcher.

Rule 9: Consider local ethical approval policies

For decades, Africa has been a pivotal site for global research and discovery, significantly contributing to advancements across various fields. However, this role has occasionally led to exploitative practices, prompting a significant reevaluation of ethical research standards. This concern has highlighted the need for stringent ethical practices in collaborations between African researchers and their collaborating partners. To address these issues, specific local ethical standards and guidelines have been developed to ensure responsible research practices within Africa. These guidelines are designed to be rigorously adhered to by all researchers, including both local and international collaborators, to foster a culture of integrity and respect in research.

Ethical procedures are crucial for thoroughly evaluating researchers’ work, ensuring that conflicts of interest are minimised and the interests of study participants or subjects are protected. Research Ethics Committees (RECs) play a key role in this process by rigorously reviewing essential documents such as study consent forms, assent forms, and study protocols. These evaluations focus on assessing the risks and benefits of research, as well as ensuring voluntary participation, thereby reducing the potential for exploitation, among other ethical concerns [ 38 , 39 ].

Local ethical guidelines play a crucial role in building trust within communities historically affected by the adverse outcomes of failed clinical trials. These guidelines mandate that research participants receive thorough education about the study in their local languages, ensuring they are well-informed and protected from exploitation. Additionally, local ethical review boards often require the involvement of local investigators in research projects, which not only fosters ownership and builds local capacity but also promotes a respectful and ethical scientific environment. This involvement helps to prevent practices such as “helicopter” or “parachute” research, where external researchers conduct studies without adequate local participation or benefit to the community [ 38 ]. Furthermore, these measures aim to enhance the representation and impact of African researchers in scientific publications. A revealing statistic from cardiovascular research in sub-Saharan Africa shows that only 10% of native publishers are from the region, with the majority of publications authored by researchers from Europe, North America, and South Africa [ 40 ]. This highlights the critical need to prioritise local ethical approval policies to ensure that research activities are not only compliant but also respectful and beneficial to local communities. Adhering to these policies is essential for fostering trust and sustainable engagement within African research collaborations.

Rule 10: Adhere to open science policies

In the pursuit of enhancing the reach and impact of African research collaborations, it is vital to support open science practices. For instance, publishing in open-access journals and depositing generated data in open-access repositories ensures that research findings are freely available, increasing their visibility and usage across the global scientific community. This approach not only democratises access to information but also encourages the integration of diverse scholarly contributions. Nevertheless, the costs associated with publishing in open-access journals can be prohibitive, particularly for researchers in low- and middle-income African countries. Therefore, it is important to include costs associated with open-access publishing in the research grant applications. This will reduce the barriers that may prevent researchers from publishing their work openly. Alongside these strategies, the promotion of preprints is essential as sharing preprints enables researchers to disseminate their findings rapidly and freely, accelerating the pace at which knowledge is exchanged and feedback is received from the broader community.

Furthermore, storing the generated data and protocols in publicly accessible repositories aligns with the FAIR principles, ensuring that datasets are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. This practice facilitates the replication of research findings and enhances the transparency and credibility of scientific inquiries while strengthening the global research community’s ability to address complex scientific questions [ 37 ].

Concluding remarks

Collaborative research is a pivotal tool for enhancing Africa’s scientific prowess, addressing the limitations of its national scientific systems, and bridging resource and infrastructure gaps [ 9 ]. Non-African countries also stand to gain from Africa’s unique research opportunities [ 11 ]. For instance, Africa carries the largest global burden of communicable infections, and with the nature of modern mobility across continents, infections are no longer confined to Africa but are becoming a global threat to public health [ 41 ]. Furthermore, Africa is also witnessing a considerable increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, which are common among non-African societies but are driven by similar risk factors. The continent’s rich genetic diversity, holding the oldest and most diverse genome, is an invaluable resource for collaborative research. Such partnerships can lead to groundbreaking discoveries in understanding complex disease patterns and advancing precision medicine worldwide [ 41 , 42 ]. Investing in quality cooperative research in Africa represents a strategic investment in global disease prevention and treatment policies [ 11 ].

Apart from the wide range of potential benefits to global health systems, collaborative research in Africa could also provide substantial global socioeconomic merits. This is because the African population is the youngest and fastest growing globally, with sub-Saharan African countries estimated to account for more than half of the world’s population growth rate between 2019 and 2050. As a result, making an intellectual investment in this growing demographic is important in harnessing and growing talent that will lead the generations of the future [ 11 ]. Furthermore, as Africa continues to offer a critical mass of future consumer markets, developed products and technologies must be adapted to suit their needs and culture, which can only be achieved via collaborative research [ 11 ].

In conclusion, these 10 rules offer a comprehensive framework for fostering effective and sustainable research collaborations across Africa. From understanding Africa’s unique cultural and geographical landscape, promoting open and regular communication, and responsibly exchanging research materials to supporting pan-African research and emphasizing equity and inclusion, these guidelines serve as a blueprint for enhancing Africa’s role in the global research community. They encourage building local capacities, adhering to ethical standards, and embracing open science policies to ensure that research practices are fair and beneficial to all involved. By following these rules, researchers can contribute to a more equitable and dynamic scientific enterprise that not only addresses the challenges faced by the continent but also leverages its unique opportunities for significant global impact.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Ailís O’Carroll, our eLife Community Manager, for managing the eLife African Ambassador community and this initiative; and Stuart King, eLife’s research culture manager for providing insights on early drafts of the article. We thank all eLife staff who contributed in any way to this article.

• View Article
• Google Scholar
• PubMed/NCBI
• 7. Boekholt P, Cunningham P, Edler J. Drivers of international collaboration in research [Internet]. Publications Office of the European Union; 2009 [cited 2024 Mar 24]. Available from: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/81914 .
• 10. Dodsworth S. The Challenges of Making Research Collaboration in Africa More Equitable. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2024 Mar 24]. Available from: https://oxfordre.com/politics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-1389 .
• 27. African BioGenome Project A. African BioGenome Project–Genomics in the service of conservation and improvement of African biological diversity [Internet]. [cited 2024 Mar 24]. Available from: https://africanbiogenome.org/ .
• 31. Horn L, Alba S, Blom F, Faure M, Flack-Davison E, Gopalakrishna G, et al. Fostering Research Integrity through the promotion of fairness, equity and diversity in research collaborations and contexts: Towards a Cape Town Statement (pre-conference discussion paper). 2022.

Methane Mitigation and Reduction Mapping Report in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector

This report maps the methane mitigation and reduction landscape in Nigeria's oil and gas sector, highlighting opportunities for aligning national priorities with global climate goals and unlocking co-benefits for public health and economic development.

Levels of e-government index

South africa’s new coalition government: implications for social, economic and foreign policy, what african countries can learn from the continent’s top performers in e-government, how is egypt digitizing the bottleneck which is the suez canal.

In this episode, our host explores Namibia's efforts to attract digital nomads amid the rise of remote work during the pandemic, but faces challenges in increasing participation in its visa program.

Rising Voices: The African Youth’s Fight for a Sustainable Future

Release of a Synthesis Report on Locally-Led Adaptation (LLA) in West Africa

Senior Fellow Spotlight: Amandine Gnanguenon

Browse through selection of some of our latest pieces or click to view all our publications.

South Africa’s new coalition government: implications for social, economic and foreig...

Apri publishes in-depth policy and expert analysis.

APRI researches key policy issues affecting African countries and the African continent. We aim to provide insights to the German and European Union policymaking process on Africa.

Policy Briefs

Commentaries, short analyses, briefing notes.

Africa's Climate Agenda

Explore our latest items in this program.

Local Solutions, Global Impact: Climate Adaptation in West Africa

Methane Mitigation and Reduction in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector

Economy & society.

Expert Interview with Axel Berger on Synergising Investment Facilitation Agendas in A...

German trade and investment in Africa: Geoeconomics, regional complementarities and d...

The AfCFTA and the Vision for a Pan-African Investment Agency

Assessing Turkey-Africa Engagements

Zero-Sum? Benefitting from Great Power Rivalry in Africa

How a focus on competition with China distracts from the EU-Africa investment opportu...

Electoral Impasse in Senegal

Zimbabwe's 2023 Election: Dynamics, Candidates, and Implications for Democracy, the E...

Will there be meaningful democratic reforms in Nigeria post the 2023 elections?

APRI’s regular series of public events, both virtual and in person, bring together top experts to discuss and debate on key policy issues to African stakeholders.

The Africa Hour Podcast

In this podcast, we take listeners through one policy issue on the continent, looking at one specific country and speaking to several local experts with divergent views on the topic per episode.

Africa’s Digital Agenda

AI in Africa: Key Concerns and Policy Considerations for the Future of the Continent

Taxing the Digital Economy: Bridging the Gap between the European Union and Africa

Europe's Digital Strategy in Africa: What's Really on Offer?

Geopolitics & geoeconomics.

Navigating Critical Mineral Supply Chains: the EU's Partnerships with the DRC and Zambia

Special series.

What is Germany’s Africa Policy?

What does the Just Transition mean for Africa

APRI Elections Hub

Featured projects.

Browse through collection of ongoing and completed projects.

Technology for Green Growth: Barriers and Drivers

This project aims to raise awareness and provide evidence of how African economies can utilize indigenous green technologies to address youth unemployment.

Climate Adaptation in Africa

The project focus is on the adaptation components of NDCs and other national and local frameworks and strategies for climate adaptation in three West African Countries: Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal.

Climate Finance in Africa

This project explores Africa's climate finance challenges and investigates the current status, practical experiences, and perceptions of state and non-state actors from South Africa, Ghana, and Zambia.

Cookies on APRI Sites

We use cookies and third-party tools to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Please read our privacy policy for more details.

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• 10 February 2021

Sequence three million genomes across Africa

• Ambroise Wonkam 0

Ambroise Wonkam is professor of medical genetics and deputy dean of research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa; president of the African Society of Human Genetics; and co-chair of the H3Africa consortium.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

You have full access to this article via your institution.

Christian Happi at Redeemer’s University in Ede, Nigeria, plans to sequence human genomes. Credit: ACEGID

Two decades after the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP), there is still much to do to ensure that genomics works for the global public good. The focus on populations from high-income countries has come at the cost of understanding health and disease that might benefit the world. Less than 2% of human genomes analysed so far have been those of African people 1 , despite the fact that Africa, where humans originated, contains more genetic diversity than any other continent. Too little of the knowledge and applications from genomics have benefited the global south because of inequalities in health-care systems, a small local research workforce and lack of funding.

The African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG) , which I currently lead, was established in 2003 to help address disparities, improve education, enhance networking and build research capacity in Africa. Despite recent progress and investments, too much of the genomic research done in Africa has been driven by European and American investigators 2 . Why is this a problem? Their priorities could be detached from what people on the continent need and want. Testing new treatments are more likely to yield high-profile papers that advance academic careers, but testing more-effective delivery methods for existing treatments is often more likely to save lives and ease suffering.

The reference genome sequences built from the HGP are missing many variants from African ancestral genomes. A 2019 study estimated that a genome representing the DNA of the African population would have about 10% more DNA than the current reference 3 . Last year, analyses of whole-genome sequences of just 426 people across 50 ethnolinguistic groups in Africa revealed more than 3 million variants that were previously unknown 4 .

The broken promise that undermines human genome research

Those variants were identified as part of a US$180-million, 10-year initiative, the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) consortium. It supports institutes across 30 African countries and is facilitated by the AfSHG in collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the UK biomedical funder Wellcome. H3Africa is now winding up, so it is time to think about what should happen next.

A rough estimate for capturing the full scope of Africa’s genetic variation would require sequencing some three million individuals, carefully selected across Africa to cover ethnolinguistic, regional and other groups. Therefore, we aim to start such a project, called the Three Million African Genomes (3MAG), which would build capacity on the continent — in genomics research and its applications, and governance. The findings would bring benefits worldwide, including some that are hard to anticipate. In a similar way, much knowledge put to use during the COVID-19 pandemic — from public communication to sharing biological samples and data — was hammered out in Ebola outbreaks during the past few years.

The development of 3MAG will probably take around a decade. We estimate core funding would need to be roughly $450 million per year (about $1,500 per participant in total). That would cover setting up and running biorepositories and developing data infrastructure and technology. We plan on sequencing and phenotyping about 300,000 African genomes in the first year.

Those who think this too daring are forgetting the ambition required to launch the HGP. That took more than 13 years, and infused genetic science across all areas of health care. Today, the cost of sequencing a genome is less than $1,000 — building the first draft reference genome cost around $300 million (see go.nature.com/3pfy2kh ). Thirty years ago, at the inception of the HGP, the US National Human Genome Research Institute distributed some 95% of the total NIH funds to human genomics research projects. Last year, that number was 10%, because all the other NIH institutes also support discipline-specific research grounded in genetics 5 .

3MAG would aim to sequence enough genomes across Africa to build a representative human reference genome and to establish a pan-African biobank of clinical information and samples. To put this into perspective, the UK Biobank is midway through a 27-month project to sequence 500,000 genomes (see go.nature.com/3ciohcj ), and the United Kingdom’s population is about 5% of Africa’s.

Research benefits

African genomes can reveal genes and variants that contribute to health and disease not found in previous, Eurocentric studies. (That said, certain European populations from a small pool of founders, such as Iceland’s, are useful for different reasons: genetic homogeneity can help to reveal environmental factors and single-gene variations that have a strong effect.) Populations of African ancestry are the most genetically diverse in the world. They collectively have more genetic variation and less intermixing with other, non-African populations, which makes it easier to find variants likely to contribute to specific conditions.

For example, variants in the gene PCSK9 are extremely rare in Europeans (less than 0.1%) but relatively common in African Americans (around 2%). The gene is correlated with much lower levels of certain blood lipids 6 , a finding that has led to at least one new medication (for example, evolucomab) for the blood condition dyslipidaemia, associated with heart attack and stroke, which affects populations worldwide. A study of about 900 Africans of Xhosa ancestry with schizophrenia matched 900 Africans without it and found many rare mutations that contribute to the disorder, along with mechanistic insights 7 . A 2016 study in a Swedish population identified many of these same mutations — but required a sample more than four times the size 8 .

Xhosa women in Qunu, South Africa. Rare mutations exist in people with Xhosa ancestry. Credit: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty

Studies in African genomes will also help to correct injustice. Estimates of genetic risk scores for people of African descent that predict, say, the likelihood of cardiomyopathies or schizophrenia can be unreliable or even misleading using tools that work well in Europeans 9 . To promote discovery and produce reliable clinical tools, genotyping and analysis must be re-optimized using genomes from more populations.

Work on hearing impairment 10 and sickle-cell disease (SCD) 11 (the focus of my research) exemplifies many benefits that could come from studying diseases caused by a single gene. People with two copies of the sickle mutation have deformed, banana-shaped red blood cells. These clump together in blood vessels, stopping the distribution of oxygen to tissues. People with SCD often live into their fifties in high-income countries. In many poorer nations, they die in childhood, from bacterial infection, anaemia, lung diseases, stroke or other complications.

The next 20 years of human genomics must be more equitable and more open

People who have SCD are much healthier if they carry variants in other genes that, say, prolong the production of fetal haemoglobin or, ironically, that contribute to a form of anaemia called α-thalassaemia. By contrast, variants in the gene APOL1 increase susceptibility to kidney disease 12 .

Most genetic modifiers of SCD have been identified from studies in Europe and the United States, usually using gene chips developed to find variants common in European populations 13 . Of the approximately 300,000 babies born with the mutation each year, about 75% are in Africa, where genetic diagnoses and insights play almost no part in medical care. A multi-centre, well-coordinated longitudinal study across the continent could discover numerous variants. This would help to predict the disease course, suggest new routes for therapies 11 (perhaps including gene editing), provide better advice for parents when prenatal genetic testing is available, and help people to manage the disease. Such a study could also become a model for understanding how genomic variants influence other monogenic diseases.

Three priorities

To sequence three million African genomes will require support from African governments, academics and international organizations.

Collaborations. The most straightforward starting point is to establish more collaborations across the globe and across African countries, including both academic and corporate research. We can leverage technologies, workflows and best practices from H3Africa and a host of other projects (see ‘Paving the way’). For instance, 54gene , a company based in Lagos, Nigeria, is setting up facilities to sequence the genomes of 100,000 Nigerians —and reports that Silicon Valley investors have put in $4.5 million to establish a biobank.

Paving the way: Three Million African Genomes can draw from existing projects

Workforce. Another requirement is to train a medical and technical research workforce, emphasizing human genetics, informatics and computer science. Ideally, this will happen by establishing graduate studies in African universities, and genetic-medicine centres of excellence in African health-care facilities.

Governance. Most challenging will be developing clinical, governmental and social infrastructure to embrace the diverse cultures and nations across Africa. Knowledge that emerges from 3MAG and associated biobanks will have profound ethical implications. Currently, there is a lack of research on what people in Africa think about certain issues, including informed consent, community engagement, privacy and confidentiality, and the use of genetic information. Nor is there knowledge of their views on the governance of biorepositories, benefit sharing and return of research results, or about their fears of exploitation in research collaborations and commercialization. These deficits caused controversy when the United Kingdom’s Wellcome Sanger Institute planned to commercialize a gene-profiling kit based on insights drawn from African genomes (see go.nature.com/3r7elep ). South Africa’s legislature has been discussing the Protection of Personal Information Act for several years. But formal ethical, legal and social implication frameworks to cover these issues are needed urgently. Coordinated efforts should be established to build equity-oriented genomics research. These should draw on theories of global justice as well as on African-based concepts such as Ubuntu, which loosely translates as community spirit.

First steps

To set out comprehensive goals and plans, members from the African Society of Human Genetics, the African Academy of Sciences and the H3Africa consortium must work with academics, scientists, professional societies, government representatives, health workers, patient advocates and more. As with H3Africa, these goals could be refined through regular meetings of working groups (such as on medical genetics, training, biorepository, public engagement and sustainability), interspersed with broader gatherings.

From one human genome to a complex tapestry of ancestry

Governments will need to commit to building data centres, developing genetic-medicine services and creating academic programmes. They will also need to facilitate public–private partnerships for research, development and translation to the clinic, establishing legal and ethical rules around personal data and consent, and more. It will be essential to have a committee within the World Health Organization or African Union with authority to aid and coordinate this infrastructure to streamline cross-country studies. Tax and market incentives should encourage the private sector to direct genomics research towards neglected diseases.

The project raises an obvious question: how can expansive genomic sequencing be justified when people still die of malnutrition, malaria and HIV?

I think that 3MAG will improve capacity in a whole range of biomedical disciplines that will equip Africa to tackle public-health challenges more equitably, and yield knowledge that could benefit vulnerable populations. Indeed, there is some evidence that effects and treatments of severe malnutrition are influenced by genetic variants 14 . And the HGP accelerated medicine in general, including molecular technology to diagnose HIV and tuberculosis that are widely used in Africa. It also informed preventive and therapeutic approaches for HIV.

3MAG could expand and extend these kinds of benefit. Genetic variants that influence the metabolism of HIV drugs have already been found in high-income populations. Up to 47% of African and African American populations carry a variant called CYP2B6*6 that is associated with severe side effects to the HIV drug efavirenz 15 , raising the likelihood that people skip doses and the emergence of viral resistance. Pharmacogenetic research should also be tasked further to match people with the most effective therapies in Africa.

3MAG must serve the populations it will study and bring better basic health care. What good is identifying variants for breast cancer or cardiovascular disease in people who can’t get mammograms or checks for high blood pressure, and who probably won’t have access to medical treatments? Ultimately, 3MAG, like H3Africa, must serve global genetic medicine, and African populations, well beyond genetics.

Nature 590 , 209-211 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00313-7

Sirugo, G., Williams, S. M. & Tishkoff, S. A. Cell 177 , 26–31 (2019).

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Adedokun, B. O., Olopade, C. O. & Olopade, O. I. Glob. Health Action 9 , 31026 (2016).

Sherman, R. M. et al. Nature Genet. 51 , 30–35 (2019).

Choudhury, A. et al. Nature 586 , 741–748 (2020).

Green, E. D. et al. Nature 586 , 683–692 (2020).

Cohen, J. et al. Nature Genet. 37 , 161–165 (2005).

Gulsuner, S. et al. Science 367 , 569–573 (2020).

Genovese, G. et al. Nature Neurosci. 19 , 1433–1441 (2016).

Curtis, D. Psychiatr. Genet. 28 , 85–89 (2018).

Wonkam, A., Manyisa, N., Bope, C. D., Dandara, C. & Chimusa, E. R. Hum. Mol. Genet. 29 , 3729–3743 (2020).

Article   Google Scholar  

Wonkam, A. et al. Clin. Transl. Med. 10 , e152 (2020).

Geard, A. et al. Br. J. Haematol. 178 , 629–639 (2017).

Menzel, S. et al. Nature Genet. 39 , 1197–1199 (2007).

Schulze, K. V. et al. Nature Commun. 10 , 5791 (2019).

Swart, M. et al. Pharmacogenet. Genomics 23 , 415–427 (2013).

Download references

Reprints and permissions

Related Articles

• Research management

The pandemic agreement: an African perspective

Correspondence 16 JUL 24

First fossil chromosomes discovered in freeze-dried mammoth skin

News 11 JUL 24

How the watermelon got its sweet taste and rosy hue

Research Highlight 10 JUL 24

Sexual harassment in science: biologists in India speak out

News Feature 29 JUL 24

Why you should perform a premortem on your research

Career Column 24 JUL 24

So you got a null result. Will anyone publish it?

News Feature 24 JUL 24

2024 Recruitment notice Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology: Shenzhen, China

The wide-ranging expertise drawing from technical, engineering or science professions...

Shenzhen,China

Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology

Global Faculty Recruitment of School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University

The School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University invites applications for tenure-track or tenured faculty positions at all ranks (Assistant/Ass...

Beijing, China

Tsinghua University (The School of Life Sciences)

Postdoctoral Fellowships: Cancer Diagnosis and Precision Oncology of Gastrointestinal Cancers

We currently have multiple postdoctoral fellowship positions within the multidisciplinary research team headed by Dr. Ajay Goel, professor and foun...

Monrovia, California

Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Goel Lab

Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Physics

Position: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Physics Locations: New York, Philadelphia, Jersey City, Berlin, or Heidelberg- Hybrid working model De...

New York City, New York (US)

Springer Nature Ltd

Senior Research Assistant in Human Immunology (wet lab)

Senior Research Scientist in Human Immunology, high-dimensional (40+) cytometry, ICS and automated robotic platforms.

Boston, Massachusetts (US)

Boston University Atomic Lab

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

University of Pittsburgh Library System

• Collections

Course & Subject Guides

African studies and african country resources @ pitt.

• Getting Started
• African VS. Africana Studies
• Subject Databases
• Religious Databases
• Statistical Databases
• Statistical Web Links
• African Organizations
• Western Sahara
• South Sudan
• Central African Republic
• Congo Republic - Brazzaville
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• São Tomé & Principe
• South Africa
• Burkina Faso
• Côte D'Ivoire
• Guinea-Bissau
• Sierra Leone
• Arab Spring & Beyond
• Evaluating Sources
• Writing & Citing

About this guide ...

This guide identifies scholarly, popular, national and international (and some local) government and non-profit organization sources for African Studies research. This information is not all inclusive and  should be treated as a starting point.

The tabs at the top of the page will connect you to categories of sources and regional African pages.  Individual country pages can be found under the regional tabs.

See a larger version of this map.    

This map is from the United States Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook.

African Country Research

Africa is the world's second largest continent in area.  The countries differ immensely geographically, politically, socially, economically, and culturally.

The UN Statistics Division has subdivided the African continent into five regions,  Northern Africa , Central or Middle Africa , Southern Africa , East Africa , and  Western Africa . These subdivisions include the following countries: 

• Northern Africa countries (7) -  Algeria , Egypt , Libya , Morocco , Sudan ,  Tunisia , and Western Sahara
• Central or Middle African countries (9) -  Angola ,  Cameroon , Central African Republic , Chad , Congo Republic - Brazzaville , Democratic Republic of Congo , Equatorial Guinea , Gabon , and São Tomé & Principe
• Southern Africa countries (5) -   Botswana , Lesotho , Namibia , South Africa , and Swaziland
• East African countries (19) -   Burundi , Comoros , Djibouti , Ethiopia ,  Eritrea ,   Kenya , Madagascar , Malawi , Mauritius ,  Mozambique ,  Réunion , Rwanda , Seychelles , Somalia ,  Somaliland , Tanzania , Uganda ,  Zambia , and Zimbabwe
• Western Africa (17) -  Benin , Burkina Faso , Cape Verde ,  Côte D'Ivoire , Gambia , Ghana , Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , Liberia , Mali , Mauritania , Niger , Nigeria , Senegal , Sierra Leone , and Togo 

The  African Development Bank Group  , the  African Union  and AllAfrica (an African based news aggregrate service) use slightly different Subdivsions. 

This guide includes general resources focused by subject matter and country resources of external web links.  Individual country pages include links to history and culture related websites, as well as news resources and official government websites. 

Click on the country's link above to access the individual country pages.

Liaison Librarian and Reference / Instruction

Credit for Country Pages

This research guide was created by Lois Kepes with the assistance of Dawnlyn Diehl , MLIS Graduate Intern at Hillman Library, University of Pittsburgh (2012 through spring 2014).  Dawnlyn also researched and developed the country pages.

What Do You Need To Do?

Librarians can help you:

Focus a Topic  -  Consult your textbook, your assignment guidelines, or your professor for appropriate topics.  Our " Developing a Research Topic " tutorial may be of helpful.

Choose a Database and Find Material  -  Use the " Subject Databases " or " Religious/ Islamic Databases " or " PittCat " tab above. 

Find a Book  -  Use the " Finding Books " or " PittCat " tab above.

Find Statistics   -  Use the " Statistical Databases " Or " Statistical Web Links " tab above.

Cite Your Sources   -  Use the " Writing and Citing " tab above.

Determine if Sources are Scholarly   -  Use the " Evaluating Sources " tab above.

• Next: African VS. Africana Studies >>
• Last Updated: Jul 17, 2024 12:51 PM
• URL: https://pitt.libguides.com/africa

Supporting a community of health researchers across Africa to become research experts capable of tackling African health challenges

Funding Calls

Become a friend of AREF

A message from our newly appointed CEO

Our Challenge

Africa shoulders a disproportionate share of the world’s disease burden. AREF’s mission comes at a time when the spread of diseases shows the major risks to global health when one part of the world does not have the research capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks in a timely way.  

Our ambitions are rooted in the conviction that Africa’s health research agenda and priorities should be defined by Africans, in partnership with leading researchers across the world. 

How we support African Researchers

Scientific Training

We run fellowships and training programmes for early-career African scientists working on important human health challenges in Africa,  to access skills development in leading research ins titutions in Africa , Europe and elsewhere.

Leadership and Development

We set emerging scientists on the path to research leadership by enabling them to build strong research careers, empower their own teams , w in funding and collaborate with researchers internationally . Our leadership programmes are targeted to research leaders seeking to transition to independent research.  

Grant Writing

Our Grant Writing programmes are designed to produce tangible progress t o w ards grant proposals, suitable for early-career researchers actively seeking funding. We also run a tailored Women in Research Grant Writing programme for women scientists as part of our efforts in bridging the gender gap in science.  

Support us to achieve our mission by donating to save lives in Africa   

We have invested over £3million in 500 researchers across Africa who have gone on to win over £1 0 m from prestigious researcher funders across the world for research projects in Africa  

83 African Researchers

83   African researchers   benefited   from AREF Research Development Fellowships, with placements at 17 research centres of excellence in Africa and Europe  

what our researchers say

AREF’s workshops are unique as they bring together the expertise of facilitators who have a history of winning grants with people involved in peer review of research proposals. The facilitators not only show what it takes to write a winning grant, but they also provide a glimpse into the peer-reviewers’ room, revealing what it is specifically that they are looking for. 

Alumni Spotlight: Mitigating climate change in Africa through health research

Alumni Spotlight: Deciphering cancer through research initiatives in Africa

Alumni Spotlight: Curbing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Africa

Alumni Spotlight: Accelerating malaria reduction through vaccination trial in The Gambia

Call for Proposals

Access all the proposals from AERC and network members. Our objective is to strengthen local capacity for conducting independent, rigorous inquiry into problems pertinent to the management of Sub-Saharan African economies.

Call for Policy Comments for Food Policy

Call for Proposals for Review Papers for Food Policy

Announcement for Masters Fellowships 2024/2025

Call For Applications for Visiting Lectureships at The Shared Facility for Specialization & Electives (SFSE) 2024

International research conference-africa in the global economy – uncertain future in turbulent times.

Africa in the global economy – Uncertain future in turbulent times

Call for Consultancy Farmer Trainer on Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness- Zimbabwe

Request for Proposal for Consultancy – External Expert for The AERC Audit and Risk Committee (ARC)

Farmer Trainer on Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness- Tanzania

DEBTCON7 – Call for Papers

AERC- World Bank Kenya Analytical Programme on Forced Displacement (World Bank KAP-FD) Thematic Project

World Bank Land Conference 2024 – Research Track innovative Research on Land Governance

AERC Special Call for Proposals – Macroeconomic Policy and Growth

Call For Research Proposals as Part of Capacity Building In Research On Forced Displacement In Kenya

Call For Applications For Visiting Lectureships At The Shared Facility For Specialization And Electives (SFSE) 2023

Call for Applications for Visiting Lectureships at the Joint Facility for Electives (JFE) 2023

Call For Expression of Interest – Workshop on Financing Human Capital Investment

Call For Collaborative Research Proposals

Call for country case study research proposals and faculty research proposals.

Call for Applications: ECA Fellowship Programme for Young African Professionals (2023-2024)

Call for Application for PhD Thesis Research on Human Capital Development Grant Support 2023

Call for Application for PhD Thesis Research Grant Support 2023

Call For Consultancy Farmer Trainer on Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Uganda Collaborative Masters in Agricultural and Applied Economics

Collaborative masters in agricultural and applied economics.

Call for Papers 2023 Africa Meeting of the Econometric Society

Request for Proposals – End of Project Evaluation on the Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic on Livelihoods in Africa Project

Request For Proposal Review Of The AERC Norad Agreement RAF-3058 RAF-18/0008

Second Call for Faculty Research Proposals on Human Capital Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Call for synthesis paper: “Boosting decent employment for Africa’s youth”

Call for Consultancy – Collaborative Masters in Agricultural and Applied Economics – Ethiopia

Call for Consultancy – Collaborative Masters in Agricultural and Applied Economics – Kenya

Call for Application for PhD Thesis Research on Human Capital Development Grant Support 2022/2023

Call for Application for PhD Thesis Research Grant Support 2022/2023

Individual Fellowships 2023

AERC Collaborative Research Project “Addressing Health Financing Vulnerabilities in Africa due to the Covid-19 Pandemic Project-Country Case Studies”

Call on papers on agriculture and food policy analysis for nutrition.

Call for Expression of Interest 2024: Awards Scheme

Call for Proposals for Africa – Europe Research Partnership

Calls for proposals – twas-dfg cooperation visits programme – ssa, twas-dfg cooperation visits programme – mena, call for consultancy: farmer trainer on entrepreneurship in agribusiness – kenya, open call for thematic research proposals 2023.

AERC Special Call for Proposals Agriculture, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management

• Report Vulnerbility
• Whistleblowing
• Privacy Terms

© 2024 All Rights Reserved

Funding opportunity: Africa-UK physics partnership collaborative research projects

Apply for funding for collaborative physics-led projects addressing the challenges of climate change, energy, and capacity building, across African economies. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for STFC funding and have a project co-lead based at a research organisation in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda.

Projects must start by February 2025 and finish by March 2027. The total fund amount is £5 million. STFC will fund 10 to 15 projects lasting up to 24 months and will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC). STFC will fund 100% of the costs for international applicants.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation .

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service. For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual .

Who is eligible to apply

This funding opportunity is open to research groups working on collaborative projects between the UK and Africa. We:

• encourage collaborative research with other UK and African research organisations from eligible countries
• encourage applications from diverse groups of researchers
• encourage applications from female researchers
• welcome applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to STFC eligibility criteria

Read more about this in the STFC eligibility guidance for applicants .

Who is not eligible to apply

This funding opportunity is for collaborative projects we will not accept:

• projects from a single research organisation
• projects that include researchers from African countries outside of the six specified (Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda)
• projects with a project lead from a non-UK research organisation
• large infrastructure projects

International applicants

Project leads from non-UK organisations are not eligible to apply for funding for this opportunity.

Project co-leads based in research organisations in eligible African countries must be included in research grant applications.

At least one project co-lead based in an eligible African research organisation must be included in the application. Read the project co-lead (international) policy guidance for details of eligible organisations and costs.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks
• support for people with caring responsibilities
• flexible working
• alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI .

What we're looking for

STFC has launched the Africa-UK Physics Partnership (AUPP) Programme to build and sustain a skilled and talented cohort of early career African physicists. As an important component of this £10 million programme STFC is launching a funding opportunity to bring together physics researchers from the UK, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to develop collaborative research projects, addressing challenges facing African countries across three themes:

• capacity building in physics across African economies and societies

Researchers will work in partnership to address physics challenges with specific relevance to SSA, developing unique perspectives that enable the SSA physics community to participate in world-class research projects. The funding opportunity will help develop long-term partnerships with the UK and support African researchers to apply their scientific skills to address a wide range of challenges and priorities.

This collaborative opportunity welcomes proposals from across the breadth of STFC’s remit. Projects will be developed from equitable partnerships between a lead UK researcher based in a UK research organisation, and at least one project co-lead based in a research organisation in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda.  Research teams will build relevant research capability, utilise existing initiatives, networks and collaborations, promote equitable partnerships and gender inclusivity.  You are encouraged to connect with your physics research communities to promote mutually beneficial UK-Africa collaborations and enable African researchers to access UK facilities for their research.

Proposals must support collaborative projects between UK researchers and researchers in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda working in collaboration on climate, energy, and physics challenges with specific relevance to Africa.  We aim to:

• fund collaborative projects involving the UK and one or more institutions in eligible countries
• fund projects which employ physics to better understand the challenges of climate and energy
• fund projects which support collaboration and capacity building across the discipline of physics in eligible African countries
• enhance existing and develop new sustainable, equitable partnerships between the UK and eligible SSA research partners
• strengthen physics research capacity in the eligible SSA countries through research relationships
• promote upskilling of researchers to benefit them and their home university
• promote gender inclusivity, increasing the representation of women in physics
• ensuring female physicists’ participation in research projects in line with UKRI’s wider EDI policies
• develop early career researchers within physics
• develop physics research careers in SSA

The research topic must be of primary relevance and benefit to researchers in eligible SSA countries.

This programme is funded by the UK Government’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). ISPF is managed by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and delivered by a consortium of the UK’s leading research and innovation bodies, including UK Research and Innovation(UKRI). The £337 million fund supports collaboration between UK researchers and innovators and their peers around the world on the major themes of our time: planet, health, tech, and talent.

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

Out of scope

Proposals out of scope of this funding opportunity are:

• projects with attached studentships
• fellowships
• large scale infrastructure project
• projects that include costs for equipment over £20,000
• projects that are not ODA compliant

The duration of this award is a maximum of 24 months.

Projects must start by 1 February 2025.

Projects must be finished by March 2027.

Funding available

The total fund amount is £5 million and STFC is aiming to support 10 to 15 projects.

Eligible UK costs

Costs associated with the UK component should be costed on the basis of FEC. If the grant is awarded, we will provide funding on the basis of 80% FEC

Eligible international costs

Costs associated with project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) employed by a university, other recognised higher education institution or other research institution based in the eligible institutions in the six African Countries should be included in the submission as Exceptions. The following costs may be requested for PcL (I)’s:

• costs for PcL (I) and any locally employed staff, that is, percentage contribution of actual salary representing the proportion of each person’s time to be spent working on the project. These costs must be entered as Exceptions under the Staff costs (at 100% FEC)
• travel and subsistence for PcL (I) must be entered as Exceptions under Travel and Subsistence (at 100% FEC)
• costs charged by the overseas organisation and associated with the project, for example consumables, field work etc. should be entered as Exceptions under the Other costs (at 100% FEC)
• a contribution towards Indirect and Estates costs at overseas organisation should be calculated as 20% of the overseas research organisation’s Directly Incurred costs (the total of the resources required for the three bullets above). This should be entered as an Exception under the Other costs (at 100% FEC)

As this funding opportunity includes partner countries on the OECD DAC list, STFC has removed the 30% cap on international costs as per the UKRI project co-lead (international) policy .

Ineligible costs

The following will not be funded under this funding opportunity in either the UK or SSA institutions:

• any types of studentships
• large items of equipment or other capital expenditure (anything costing £20,000 or greater)

What we will fund

We will fund:

• collaborative projects strengthening relationships between UK and SSA researchers
• projects that support gender inclusivity
• projects that strengthen existing in-country partnerships
• projects that support networking, capacity building, training and upskilling in physics
• projects that strengthen existing in-country partnerships and support research-related knowledge exchange and impact activities
• projects that address challenges specific to the African context

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

• UK only focused projects. Projects must have in-country partnerships
• development of large infrastructure
• projects that are not ODA-compliant

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment .

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

Further guidance and information about TR&I , including where applicants can find additional support.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

• Confirm you are the project lead.
• Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email [email protected] Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
• Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
• Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
• Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
• Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
• insert each new image onto a new line
• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
• ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service .

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service
• how research offices use the Funding Service
• how reviewers use the Funding Service

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019)

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

STFC must receive your application by 17 September 2024 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data.

STFC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice .

Publication of outcomes

STFC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on Board and panel outcomes – STFC .

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research .

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers
• policymakers
• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• the challenge the project addresses
• aims and objectives
• potential applications and benefits

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)
• project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
• project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
• grant manager
• professional enabling staff
• research and innovation associate
• visiting researcher
• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications .

Application questions

Word limit: 500

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
• is timely given current trends, context, and needs
• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

References may be included within this section.

Word limit: 2,500

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
• uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
• summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI . You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

Contextual information

Please ensure that details of your African co-researchers are included in this section.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual .

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
• how you will manage these considerations

Research involving the use of animals

Does your proposed research involve the use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals Scientific Procedures Act?

If you are proposing research that requires using animals, download and complete the Animals Scientific Procedures Act template (DOCX, 74KB) , which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms.

Save it as a PDF. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

• Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff
• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
• any equipment that will cost more than £10,000
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all facilities and infrastructure costs
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

We will not fund large items of equipment or other capital expenditure (anything costing £20,000 or greater).

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Official Development Assistance (ODA): compliance eligibility

How does your proposed work meet ODA compliance eligibility?

To demonstrate how your proposed work meets ODA compliance criteria, please explain:

• which country or countries on the DAC list will directly benefit from this proposal
• how your proposal is directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of these countries
• how you expect the outcomes of your proposed activities will promote the economic development and welfare of a country or countries on the DAC list
• how the proposed activity is appropriate to address the development need
• the approaches you will use to deliver development impact within the lifetime of the project and in the longer term, considering the potential outcomes, the key beneficiary and stakeholder groups and how they will be engaged to enable development impact to be achieved

This funding opportunity is part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. This is government aid that promotes and specifically targets the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its primary objective.

Applicants should ensure that their proposal focuses on the challenges specific to the partner country or countries and not broader global issues, meaning those that are transboundary beyond low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is accepted that ODA-funded research may have benefits to the UK or other high-income countries, however, these should be secondary to be development objectives of the project.

Applicants should consider whether these countries are likely to continue to be eligible for the duration of the research, noting that ODA funding cannot be used to support research that does not promote a DAC list country. Please note there may be eligibility restrictions specific to the opportunity you are applying to; you and other applicants should refer to the Funding Finder to confirm eligibility before applying. When assessing whether an activity is eligible for ODA funding under this funding opportunity, STFC will consider whether projects satisfy OECD criteria on eligibility .

Applications will be assessed through a competitive panel process with ODA eligibility being a criterion for approval, i.e., projects must be fully ODA compliant to be considered for funding. Initial ODA compliance checks will be carried out by UKRI; proposals that do not meet the eligibility criteria may be rejected without reference to the panel. Panellists will also be provided with this guidance and asked to comment on ODA compliance and likelihood of significant development impact.

• ODA Gender Equality Statement

Word limit: 400

How does your proposed work demonstrate sufficient consideration of gender equality?

Provide a Gender Equality Statement that explains:

• how measures have been put in place to ensure equal and meaningful opportunities for people of different genders to be involved throughout the project, including the development of the project, the participants of the research and innovation and the beneficiaries of the research and innovation
• the expected impact of the project (benefits and losses) on people of different genders, both throughout the project and beyond
• the impact on the relations between people of different genders and people of the same gender. For example, changing roles and responsibilities in households, society, economy, politics, power, etc.
• how any risks and unintended negative consequences on gender equality will be avoided or mitigated against, and monitored
• if there are any relevant outcomes and outputs being measured, with data disaggregated by age and gender (where disclosed)

All ODA funding must adhere to the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014. To meet this, all applications to UKRI ODA calls must provide a Gender Equality Statement. Read further guidance for applicants on writing Gender Equality Statements and how to consider gender within your research proposal.

For funding opportunities under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), all ODA funding must adhere to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Gender Equality Policy. For more information on this policy and the related guidance for considering gender equality in your research please see Gender equality in research and innovation Official Development Assistance (ODA) .

STFC and expert reviewers will assess whether your proposal has demonstrated sufficient consideration of gender equality.

Your organisation’s support

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing why the proposed work is needed. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.

The committee will be looking for a strong statement of commitment from your research organisation.

STFC recognises that in some instances, this information may be provided by the Research Office, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or equivalent, or a combination of both.

You must also include the following details:

• a significant person’s name and their position, from the TTO or Research Office, or both
• office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.

Project partners

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Add the following project partner details:

• the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
• the project partner contact name and email address
• the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project partner section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A.  Each letter or email you provide should:

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
• describe any additional value that they bring to the project
• the page limit is 2 sides A4 per partner

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the Project partners’ section.

Data management and sharing

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy , which includes detailed guidance notes.

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 35KB)
• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
• confirmation you have their agreement where required

Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Trusted Research and Innovation

Word limit: 100

Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area?

Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including:

• list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in
• if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act
• if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act are involved list the areas
• is this application part of an experiment at an international facility? If yes, please indicate which facility

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

We may ask you to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process.

We will assess your application using the following process.

We will invite experts to assess the quality of your application and rank it alongside other applications after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.

STFC will make the final funding decision.

If your application was discussed by a panel, we will give feedback with the outcome of your application.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making .

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• Applicant and team capability
• Ethics and responsible research and innovation
• ODA Compliance

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application.

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact [email protected]

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email:  [email protected]

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email [email protected]

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
• declaration of interest
• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice

Additional info

The Africa UK Physics Partnership (AUPP) Programme has been designed based upon work carried out by the Institute of Physics (IOP) in 2019. This analysis found that of over 4,000 projects across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), only a small proportion (5.5%) involved physics.

A subsequent survey of 50 universities and research facilities plus focus groups including researchers from African nations found that support for a few key factors could make a big difference to the physics base and drive locally led physics innovation, especially in the fields of energy, climate and weather. Key areas for intervention identified were:

• gender inclusivity
• training and education
• academic and staff capacity
• innovation and commercialisation
• collaboration and networks

The intention is to develop a cohort of talented and experienced African physicists, with networks and connections that link them to the UK, countries throughout the region and other scientific disciplines, contributing to addressing physics challenges specific to Africa.

Read the Institute of Physics’ AUPP Programme feasibility study report .

Additional disability and accessibility adjustments

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays
• disruptive working patterns and conditions
• the loss of ongoing work
• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .

International research collaboration: is Africa different? A cross-country panel data analysis

• Open access
• Published: 07 March 2023
• Volume 128 , pages 2145–2174, ( 2023 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Jorge Cerdeira   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2539-0557 1 , 2 , 5 ,
• João Mesquita 3 &
• Elizabeth S. Vieira   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2240-110X 4  

3219 Accesses

9 Citations

10 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

International research collaboration (IRC) has been relevant for the development of national scientific systems. In Africa, given the limited resources devoted to research and development (R&D) activities and the crucial role that scientific knowledge generated through research activities can have in socioeconomic development, IRC may be an opportunity to strengthen scientific capabilities. While geographical, economic, political/governance, cultural, intellectual and excellence distance hampers IRC in other regions, we argue that economic and excellence distances actuate differently in Africa. We explored the impact of the variables above in addition to the information and communication technologies (ICTs), and social distances on the IRC of these countries. Using panel data for 54 African economies, our results show that economic distance fosters IRC while governance and excellence distances are non-significant. Past collaborations (one out of two proxies for social distance) and speaking the same language have the highest effect on IRC, and ICTs distance the lowest. The results have implications for science policy in Africa. For instance, we argue that science policies need to be adapted to each environment as the scientific landscape in each country is unique.

Similar content being viewed by others

The influence of r&d intensity of countries on the impact of international collaborative research: evidence from spain.

Is there convergence in international research collaboration? An exploration at the country level in the basic and applied science fields

The integration of African countries in international research networks

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction

Science is essential to the socioeconomic development of a nation. Research activities enable the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge with great potential for innovation (Brooks, 1994 ), as innovation transforms knowledge into value and wealth. The importance of scientific knowledge and innovation has been recognised in neoclassical (Solow, 1956 ) and endogenous (Romer, 1986 ) growth models, and several studies suggest that scientific knowledge may have a positive effect on economic growth (e.g., Inglesi-Lotz & Pouris, 2013 ; Ntuli et al., 2015 ).

However, developing research activities require an appropriate environment. By that, we mean each country must have a stimulating environment within universities, with the institutionalisation of scientific professional structures and societies, with funding devoted to research activities—whether basic or applied activities—and institutions that can manage and link these activities with the right spillovers. Besides, it is necessary to create and implement scientific policies that support and foster the development of research activities.

In Africa, scientific capabilities are crucial for socioeconomic development (AUC, 2014 ). Some studies have found a positive association between scientific knowledge and economic growth, underscoring the need for a knowledge base, which can only be achieved with well-trained human capital (e.g., studies by Inglesi-Lotz & Pouris, 2013 ; Onyancha, 2020 ).

However, the scarcity of resources and an inappropriate environment are severe obstacles to the development of African national science and technology (S&T) systems (AUC, 2014 ). The gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) in Africa is low; in 2015, it averaged 0.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) (Mouton, 2018 ; Mouton et al., 2019 ). In addition, there is wide variation across countries. For example, South Africa's GERD was 0.83% of GDP in 2017, Egypt’s was 0.72% in 2018, Mozambique's was 0.34% in 2018, and in other countries it was even lower (UNESCO, 2021 ). The data also shows that some countries rely heavily on international funding for their R&D activities. Mozambique and Burkina Faso are examples, as 60% or more of their R&D funding comes from international sources (NPCA, 2014 ). On the other hand, we have South Africa, where 12% of funding for R&D comes from international sources (NPCA, 2014 ). In this context, it is important to highlight that although South Africa and Egypt have the highest investment in R&D, they still lag far behind countries that are considered scientific powers, such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, whose GERD in 2018 was 3.09%, 2.20%, and 1.72% of GDP respectively (UNESCO, 2021 ).

In addition to financial resources invested in R&D, there are also science funding councils/agencies and science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies. The S&T systems of countries with an Anglophone tradition (e.g. South Africa, Kenya) include science funding councils, while countries with a Francophone tradition do not have such councils, although the importance of such an institution has been recognised (Mouton et al., 2015 ) Moreover, the establishment of science funding councils is still very recent in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Mouton et al., 2015 ).

Many African countries have also recently developed national STI policy plans (Mouton et al., 2015 ; NPCA, 2014 ), and some countries have consulted international organisations such as UNESCO (e.g. Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria) to help formulate and revise STI policy plans.

The level of investment in R&D, the existence of science funding councils and national STI policy plans are all important in the development of national S&T systems in Africa and results in countries being at different stages of development in terms of their S&T systems. This has implications for science (regarding available research infrastructures, human resource development, etc.) as some countries will be able to produce more scientific knowledge than others. This is supported by several studies that have shown that only a few countries are responsible for a high percentage of the scientific knowledge produced in Africa.

Between 2000 and 2004, African countries produced 1.8% of the world's publications indexed on the Web of Science, with South Africa and Egypt accounting for the largest share of total African publications (30% and 20% respectively), followed by Morocco (8%) (Pouris & Pouris, 2009 ). Looking at a longer period (2000 and 2015), South Africa and Egypt contributed the most to the total number of African articles and reviews indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (97 and 79 thousand respectively, Sooryamoorthy, 2018 ). The same pattern was observed for the period 2005–2010 and 2011–2015 (Mouton & Blanckenberg, 2018 ). The breakdown of Africa's scientific production by scientific field also shows that South Africa and Egypt are the African countries with the highest contribution in most scientific fields (Pouris & Pouris, 2009 ).

As resources in African countries for R&D are limited, it is imperative to look for other ways to enable African scientists to contribute to the advancement of knowledge. One such strategy could be the development of research activities in an international framework. Several studies looking at the impact of IRC have shown that its benefits lie in access to funding for research activities, equipment and the development of research, management and learning infrastructures (e.g., Efstathiou et al., 2014 ; Matenga et al., 2019 ; Zdravkovic et al., 2016 ). The involvement of African scientists in research collaboration networks offers the opportunity to engage in learning processes that enable them to acquire/improve skills and gain new knowledge (Bozeman & Corley, 2004 ). As scientists take their place in these networks and build trusting relationships, they are more likely to expand their professional ties (Newman, 2001 ), increasing opportunities for information exchange and exploring new scientific ideas. Finally, their involvement in networks can provide opportunities to attract international assets–financial and material–whose access is recognised as a key benefit of IRC (Maluleka et al., 2016 ; Muriithi et al., 2018 ; Owusu-Nimo & Boshoff, 2017 ). Thus, the continuous integration of African countries in these networks greatly benefits their S&T systems, despite the fragile position that African nations still have in these international networks (e.g., Vieira & Cerdeira, 2022 ).

Hence, scientific policies aimed at fostering and supporting IRC are deemed important. To maximise the benefits of such policies, it is important to be cognisant of the main barriers to IRC. In general, geographic, economic, political, cultural, intellectual and excellence distances between countries are barriers to IRC (e.g., Frame & Carpenter, 1979 ; Hoekman et al., 2010 ; Scherngell & Hu, 2011 ; Vieira et al., 2022 ). However, we argue that in the context of African countries, some factors operate differently than in other regions of the world. Indeed, some may even promote rather than hinder IRC. This may happen with economic distance, considering the low level of development of African S&T systems and the need to bring them on par with others in terms of socioeconomic development. As for excellence distance, it may not be an obstacle if we consider that an appropriate alignment of science and its funding according to the socioeconomic needs (Ciarli & Rafols, 2019 ; Sarewitz & Pielke, 2007 ) is more fruitful than scientific excellence per se, in countries with early–stage S&T systems.

This study contributes to the literature on IRC in several ways. First, we analysed the influence of geographic, ICTs, economic, governance, cultural, intellectual, excellence, and social distances in IRC for 54 African countries. Past research on the topic has focused on a single African country, discipline, research programme, and individual scientists (e.g., Asubiaro & Badmus, 2020 ; Holmarsdottir, 2013 ; Reddy et al., 2002 ; Sooryamoorthy, 2010 ). Second, we use a panel count data model with time fixed effects and clusters at the country pair level, which is more appropriate than cross–section techniques because it controls for omitted variables that may affect IRC. Previous studies focusing on the factors affecting the process of collaboration that involve African scientists have mainly obtained results from surveys, interviews, bibliometric studies, or focus–group discussions (e.g., Adams et al., 2014 ; Asubiaro & Badmus, 2020 ; Bleck et al., 2018 ; Holmarsdottir, 2013 ; Loukanova et al., 2014 ; Maluleka et al., 2016 ; Muriithi et al., 2018 ; Tierney et al., 2013 ), methodologies that are not the most appropriate to analyse large datasets. Finally, we discuss policy implications, as the results differ from those of previous studies, highlighting the need for policies tailored to the context of African countries.

The remainder of this paper is organised as follows: In “ Literature review and hypotheses ”, section we review the studies that address the factors that influence research collaboration in Africa and present the framework that supports the hypotheses formulated. “ Methodology ” section presents the methodology, including a description of the dataset, bibliometric analysis, variables, and model. The following section, Results, presents a brief bibliometric analysis, the descriptive statistics, and the impact of each distance on IRC. “ Discussion and Conclusion ”, section concludes the paper, presents the main findings of the study, and discusses the policy implications.

Literature review and hypotheses

The studies dealing with the factors affecting research collaboration that involves African scientists have pointed out several barriers. Examples include physical, ICTs and cultural distances, lack of time and research culture, inexistence of a common research language, insufficient funding, poor management of funding, misunderstanding of arrangements and responsibilities, and huge bureaucracy (Bleck et al., 2018 ; Holmarsdottir, 2013 ; Loukanova et al., 2014 ; Maluleka et al., 2016 ; Muriithi et al., 2018 ; Tierney et al., 2013 ). The findings addressing this subject come from studies where scientists that participated in several research projects used their experience to describe the challenges faced in all the process of research collaboration. We briefly present some of these studies.

The analysis of a survey administered to 248 academics at public universities in Kenya found that problems in collaboration were related to sociocultural factors, management and control, and availability of resources. For the sociocultural aspects, academics cited mistrust as a problem; for the management and control dimension, a lack of time for research; and for the availability of resources, insufficient funds and their management (Muriithi et al., 2018 ).

Social scientists who have participated in research collaborations in Africa pointed to several factors that can negatively impact the collaboration process and that should be considered and early addressed by scientists when deciding to participate in cross-regional collaborations (Bleck et al., 2018 ). The lack of time of Southern scientists due to multiple demands (teaching, policy work and grading) is considered a barrier. On the other hand, the practise of research collaboration and paid consultancy jobs simultaneously hinder the process of collaboration. Southern scientists are often required as experts for lucrative non-academic consultancy activities, which result in less time for them to carry out their research agenda. The lack of a common 'research language' and misunderstanding of research objectives when collaboration between scientists from different disciplines is required was also cited as a challenge if not properly managed.

Responses from 51 academic faculty employed by Library and Information Science schools in South Africa to a questionnaire examining factors affecting research collaboration indicate that bureaucracy, lack of funding and time, and physical distance are factors that negatively affect research collaboration (Maluleka et al., 2016 ).

Analysis of a questionnaire answered by nine doctoral students, six doctoral supervisors, and country principal investigators, which participated in an European Union funded collaborative project involving a partnership between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, a revealed that the main problems in collaboration are the cultural clash, misunderstanding of arrangements and responsibilities, and insufficient funding (Loukanova et al., 2014 ).

In describing the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare, particularly the partnership between Kenyan and North American scientists, important challenges were raised: lack of time for research, physical distance, lack of research culture, and authorship issues (Tierney et al., 2013 ). The lack of time for research on the Kenyan side is attributed to social and family obligations and the large number of tasks Kenyan academics must manage. Culturally, they have large families for which they have major responsibilities, especially financial. Academics in these countries have low salaries, so they have to look for other sources of income to fulfill the responsibilities for their families. On the other hand, they have many commitments at universities (teaching, university examinations, governance, and clinical practices) that result in the absence of time for research activities. Physical distance was highlighted as a challenge because working groups, programs, and projects were organised as partnership activities involving Kenyans and North Americans. As a result, there are few opportunities for teleconferencing, and they have to take place at very different times of the day (early morning in North America and late afternoon in Kenya; not always the optimal times for participants to make decisions). ICTs were used to mitigate the effects of physical distance, but limited bandwidth and power outages were cited as barriers to appropriate use of these technologies. The lack of research culture on the part of Kenyan academics stems from the limited focus on research as part of the academic culture. As for the authorship and given that the collaborative research requires different amounts and types of efforts among members of the research team, the leaders felt the need to allocate responsibilities in advance, otherwise conflicts would have arisen.

Critical reflections on the challenges of research collaboration by scientists from the Adolescent Reproductive Health Network, which involved several European and African universities, have shown that research collaborations that involve Southern institutions in all aspects of the research process are more likely to lead to sustainable research partnerships (Holmarsdottir, 2013 ). They also point out that socio-cultural differences can have a negative impact on the collaboration process and therefore suggest that scientists from the North should spend time in the field to familiarise themselves with the context in the South. Finally, they emphasise that differences in race, gender and language have a negative impact on the collaboration process.

These findings are highly relevant in the context of research collaboration, but these studies have not addressed the challenges posed by other factors (economic, governance, intellectual and excellence distance) that have been shown to be barriers in studies addressing research collaboration in other regions (e.g., Vieira et al., 2022 ).

In explaining research collaboration, several models and frameworks have been developed (e.g., Amabile et al., 2001 ; Kraut et al., 1987 ; Sonnenwald, 2007 ). Therefore, the barriers identified for exploration in this study were drawn from a synthesis of studies, models, and frameworks in the extant literature.

Physical distance

Research collaboration as a social process (Kraut et al., 1988 ) implies physical proximity, which permits more frequent, effective and unplanned face–to–face communication (Sommer, 1959 ). Face–to–face communication is desired for several reasons.

First, if face–to–face communication occurs frequently, it will lower the time needed to complete the research activities. Collaborators working over a long distance need to meet at several stages of the research project, and long travel distances will increase the duration of the project, as well as its financial costs.

Moreover, there are disciplines that given their research nature, e.g., mathematics, requires face–to–face communication. As stated by a mathematician interviewed in Walsh and Bayma’s work “We write very proper, formal, very abstract. We think informally, intuitively. None of that is in the publication” (Walsh & Bayma, 1996 ).

Additionally, improving individual expertise is among the many scientific motivations behind research collaboration (Katz & Hicks, 1997 ). In the process of sharing and learning new knowledge, tacit knowledge deserves special attention due to the impossibility of codifying it (Gertler, 2003 ). Thus, face–to–face communication acts as a tool that facilitates the sharing of this knowledge (Storper & Venables, 2004 ).

Also, this type of communication encompasses visual and corporal cues that are as important as the words in allowing a comprehensive understanding of the information being shared (Storper & Venables, 2004 ).

Finally, unplanned face–to–face communication is relevant in starting new collaborations (Katz & Martin, 1997 ; Laudel, 2001 ). Thus, two collaborating scientists could frequently engage in informal communication, which might end up with new collaborative projects.

In Africa, physical distance is particularly critical. Academics have little time for research activities due to their heavy teaching loads (Tijssen & Kraemer-Mbula, 2018 ; Zdravkovic et al., 2016 ) and the need to fall back on other professional commitments to supplement their income (Sawyerr, 2004 ; Tierney et al., 2013 ). Therefore, long distance travel is not desirable. Even in the case of short physical distance, the low development of physical communications in Africa might result in a long travel time.

The literature on physical distance revealed, in general, its negative impact on research collaboration (e.g., Balland, 2012 ; Hoekman et al., 2010 ; Katz, 1994 ; Pan et al., 2012 ; Pond et al., 2007 ; Torre, 2008 ).

Given the role of physical distance, we hypothesise that:

The greater the distance between countries, the lower the IRC.

The non–contiguity of countries negatively affects IRC.

ICTs distance

The emergence of ICTs and their continuous development has been relevant in advancing knowledge frontiers (Heimeriks & Vasileiadou, 2008 ) and in overcoming some of the barriers imposed by physical distance to research collaboration (Walsh, 1996 ).

ICTs provide communication channels (e-mail, audio conferences), community data systems (e.g., Protein Databank), and access to remote scientific instruments (e.g., telescopes) that are independent of the collaborators’ geographic location (Bos et al., 2007 ). Considering their advantages, the use of ICTs provided an increase in the research teams’ size and remote collaborations (Ding et al., 2010 ; Walsh, 1996 ).

At the country level, there are marked differences regarding the ICT infrastructures, which determine their adoption and use by the scientific community (Ayanso et al., 2014 ). In Africa, the ICT infrastructures are limited, which is why their use in collaborative research has increased but is still low (Muriithi et al., 2016 ).

Thus, our formulated hypothesis is as follows:

The ICTs distance negatively affects IRC.

Economic distance

When scientists can not solve a scientific problem with the resources (intellectual, financial and scientific infrastructures) available in their countries, they show openness to research collaboration with foreign scientists (Luukkonen et al., 1992 ; Zdravkovic et al., 2016 ). Usually, the availability of these resources is related to the economic development of each country (Sokolov-Mladenovic et al., 2016 ; Wagner et al., 2001 ). Therefore, we expect joint research between countries with different levels of development (e.g., Maleka et al., 2019 ; Shehatta & Mahmood, 2017 ). However, the greater the economic disparity, the greater the challenges associated with research collaboration among countries, which could limit collaborative activities.

In Africa, most of the national S&T systems are at an early stage of development (UNESCO, 2015 ) and the low availability of resources does not allow for rapid scaling up of these systems. All these constraints, as well as the potential of scientific knowledge that can be generated in this region for its socioeconomic development, have already been recognised by international intergovernmental organisations (e.g., United Nations), political and economic organisations (e.g., European Union), funding agencies of several countries and donors. Over time, these actors have been responsible for funding and designing research programmes aimed at developing collaborative research activities between African and non-African scientists (Skupien & Ruffin, 2020 ). Among many other goals, these programmes aim to make African countries more scientifically capable and bring them on par with others in terms of socioeconomic development.

Therefore, we assume that:

Economic distance fosters IRC.

Governance distance

Governance is the process by which governments are selected, monitored, and replaced; the ability of a government to effectively formulate and implement sound policies; and the respect of citizens and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions (Kaufmann et al., 2010 ).

Governance is important from several perspectives. Firstly, political instability, corruption and violence prevent an attractive research environment (Allard et al., 2012 ). Also, the degree of freedom influences the ability to engage and conduct activities (Schiermeier, 2021 ; Skupien & Ruffin, 2020 ). Further, the quality and complexity of policy formulation and implementation regarding intellectual property and legal infrastructures may pose additional challenges to the collaborative process (Forero-Pineda, 2006 ). Therefore, rules and laws as formal institutions influence the behaviour of actors and organisations (Boschma, 2005 ). To the extent that actors and organisations (including universities and other research entities) share similar formal institutions, i.e. build trust on the basis of common institutions, this proximity leads to increased IRC (Boschma, 2005 ).

Many African countries have undertaken reforms to improve their overall governance. Nevertheless, there are countries where these reforms are still in their infancy and have a long way to go to achieve good performance, and others are experiencing a decline in their governance performance after periods of improvement (Mbaku, 2020 ; MIF, 2020 ).

We conjecture that:

Governance distance negatively affects IRC.

Cultural distance

Cultural distance is the dissimilarity in values, beliefs, attitudes and language among individuals (UNESCO, 2001 ).

The greater propensity to interact with others of similar values, beliefs and attitudes is well discussed in the literature (Huston & Levinger, 1978 ; McPherson et al., 2001 ). This major tendency is discussed under the term homophily principle (Lazarsfeld & Merton, 1954 ; McPherson et al., 2001 ). The principle states that interaction between similar people is higher than between dissimilar people. By similar people, we mean those whose similarity is based on informal, formal or ascribed status (status homophily) or on values, attitudes and beliefs (value homophily) (McPherson et al., 2001 ). This propensity to interact (value homophily) has been shown to be important for knowledge sharing and learning and for fostering an environment of shared habits and respected norms of behaviour (Lucas, 2006 ; Makela et al., 2007 ).

As for cultural similarity (value homophily), imperial history has been identified as an important driver (Bonikowski, 2010 ). When individuals interact, cultural traits are transferred from one individual to another, resulting in an environment of similar values, beliefs, and behaviours (Axelrod, 1997 ). Several African countries were colonised, and this historical past likely contributed to the absorption of other cultures.

Language is essential to the process of knowledge sharing (Welch & Welch, 2008 ). It is linked to culture as metaphors, accents and dialects are embedded in it revealing a person's cultural background (Goddard & Wierzbicka, 2001 ). Therefore, a common language is expected to facilitate knowledge sharing (Ambos & Ambos, 2009 ; Makela et al., 2007 ).

The literature on the effects of cultural distance on research collaboration emphasises its negative impact (Gui et al., 2019 ; Hoekman et al., 2010 ; Luukkonen et al., 1992 ; Plotnikova & Rake, 2014 ).In the case of African countries, shared culture and language were suggested as possible reasons of the collaboration patterns observed in the networks representing African international collaborations (Adams et al., 2014 ).

From the previous points, we anticipate that:

The absence of a colonial tie negatively affects IRC.

Not sharing a common language negatively affects IRC.

Not sharing a common coloniser negatively affects IRC.

Intellectual distance

Intellectual distance is the gap among knowledge bases of different countries. When seeking knowledge through research collaboration, partners must have similar knowledge bases (Cohen & Levinthal, 1990 ). Cohen and Levinthal defined a firm's absorptive capacity as”…the ability of a firm to recognize the value of new, external information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends…’ (Cohen & Levinthal, 1990 ). For these authors, the absorptive capacity of the firm depends on the absorptive capacity of the individual members of the firm. In turn, an individual's ability to evaluate and use external knowledge depends on the level of prior knowledge associated with it. Using this concept of absorptive capacity, we can conclude that the exchange and learning process in a research collaboration will only be successful if each scientist has the appropriate knowledge that enables him/her to learn and interpret the new knowledge. In other words, the scientists' ability to absorb, interpret and exploit new knowledge is closely related to their intellectual background. However, some intellectual distance is essential as it enables the combination of complementary knowledge that expands knowledge frontiers (Boschma, 2005 ; Gilsing et al., 2008 ).

In Africa, the production of scientific knowledge is low, considering its contribution to global scientific knowledge (Adams et al., 2014 ). Moreover, a high percentage of this knowledge comes from a small number of African countries, and the distribution of knowledge across scientific fields is disproportionate (e.g., Pouris & Ho, 2014 ; Vieira & Cerdeira, 2022 ). These patterns suggest that the knowledge base may be fragile in several scientific fields and countries.

Empirically, the studies highlighted the negative effect of intellectual distance on collaboration propensity (e.g., Acosta et al., 2011 ; Capello & Caragliu, 2018 ; Fernandez et al., 2016 ).

We foresee that:

Intellectual distance negatively affects IRC.

Excellence distance

A country's competitiveness is tied to a rich scientific knowledge and innovation system. At the heart of the competitiveness issue, it is the decision by policy actors to create an environment that supports excellent research and to provide the means to foster linkages between users and producers of knowledge. Efforts have been made to direct funding towards research excellence (e.g., the Research Excellence Framework). Other efforts relate to the use of instruments (e.g., formal bilateral agreements, internationally focused training programmes) to encourage IRC with scientific powers (Boekholt et al., 2009 ).

In Africa, the pursuit of excellence in research has been recognised by several scientific actors and excellence initiatives have been developed (Tijssen & Kraemer-Mbula, 2018 ). One example is the Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action 2005–2014, which assumes that science and technology must be produced and used to solve specific African problems. This plan of action emphasises excellence in research and several centres of excellence have been established in different African regions (UNESCO, 2015 ). However, African scientists mention that the unavailability of time for research, limited access to equipment and funding are serious obstacles to the development of research excellence (Tijssen & Kraemer-Mbula, 2018 ). Therefore, in the African context, it is necessary to recognise and promote research that is valuable across local, regional, national, and global scales. While research must be well done and adhere to standards, excellence may not be the primary goal. We assume that these particularities are considered when scientists define IRC. We, therefore, assume that when IRCs are established between African and non-African scientists, the excellence of the African science system is not a determining factor in whether or not the collaboration will continue.

Thus, we anticipate that:

Excellence distance is not a barrier in IRC.

Social distance

The literature on embeddedness assumes that economic relationships are to some extent embedded in a social context (Boschma, 2005 ; Granovetter, 1985 ). In Granovetter's view “…the behavior and institutions to be analyzed are so constrained by ongoing social relations that to construe them as independent is a grievous misunderstanding.” (Granovetter, 1985 ). Taking into account the literature on embeddedness, we consider that in IRC, socially embedded relationships between individuals are extremely important for the success of IRC. We refer to the absence of socially embedded relationships between individuals as social distance. Socially embedded relations involve trust derived from friendship or shared experience; thus, social distance prevents trust–based interactions, which are important in fostering knowledge exchange and sharing ideas (Dhanaraj et al., 2004 ; Sherwood & Covin, 2008 ).

Diverse research collaborations are established because a friendly relationship exists or collaborators have developed joint research activities in the past (Owusu-Nimo & Boshoff, 2017 ). As the interaction progresses, individuals recognise the capabilities and interests of their collaborators, emerging a trust-based relation. This can lead to new research collaborations between the same collaborators. Furthermore, trust can spread through a collaborator's network increasing the opportunities for cooperation with a collaborator's collaborators (Newman, 2001 ).

The literature on social distance highlights the importance of personal relationships and previous collaboration in IRC (e.g., Eduan & Jiang, 2019 ; Fernandez et al., 2016 ; Owusu-Nimo & Boshoff, 2017 ; Plotnikova & Rake, 2014 ).

We envision that:

The absence of previous collaborations negatively affects IRC.

The inexistence of common collaborators negatively affects IRC.

Methodology

In studying the influence of the distances in IRC, we considered the IRC between different African countries and between African and non–African countries. The nations involved are members of the United Nations (193 countries).

The number of co-publications ( pub_col ) between two countries is our measure of IRC. The data were retrieved from InCites, that includes content indexed in the WoS (Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences citation Index, Arts & humanities Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index, Book Citation Index and Emerging Sources Citation index), for the period between 2000 and 2017. We have 8937 unique country pairs and a total of 149,426 observations. We used a panel data as this allows including cluster country pairs effects, as well as time fixed effects, to control for some unobserved variables, such as the implementation of national policies regarding IRC and external funding received through research partnerships.

As for the data, we recognise the limitations regarding the difficulty of having a universal concept of research collaboration (Katz & Martin, 1997 ) and from the selective procedures of the WoS (Clarivate, 2020 ).

Given the complexity of the collaboration process, it is changeling to have a concept of research collaboration and an index that can adequately measure it. We have adopted the co-authorship approach, but this provides only a partial perspective on collaboration, as not all outputs of the collaboration process are tangible (Katz & Martin, 1997 ). Moreover, studies reported that the contribution of scientists from developing countries was beneficial to the advancement of knowledge in a collaborative framework, but their contributions were unacknowledged through the scientific publications, as they are not considered as authors (Dahdouh-Guebas et al., 2003 ; Elobu et al., 2014 ). However, the advantages—namely, invariant and verifiable characteristics, data availability, and the ability to work with large datasets (see Katz & Martin, 1997 for more advantages)—have contributed to the use of this approach as a proxy for IRC (Newman, 2001 , 2004 ).

Regarding the selection policies, WoS only considers sources that meet a set of criteria and therefore relies more on selectivity than on comprehensiveness. This constitutes a shortcoming as several African journals are not indexed (Owusu-Nimo & Boshoff, 2017 ) and African scientists often rely on grey literature to publish their research findings (Marfo et al., 2011 ).

Bibliometric analysis

Using a bibliometric approach, we briefly present an overview of the number of documents published by African scientists between 2000 and 2017, as well as the number of documents with at least one foreign scientist (this can be a scientist from another African country or a non-African country). Since scientists from a few countries make the largest contribution to Africa's scientific output, we present and discuss statistics for the 10 African countries with the largest contribution to the total number of African documents. We have also identified the most important foreign partners of these countries, the top five. With this analysis, we aim to provide readers with a broader understanding of IRC on the continent.

Variables and models

Dependent variable.

The dependent variable is the number of co–publications between two countries in each year. For a pub_col , we identified, through its affiliation, the participating countries. We used full counting (i.e. if three countries are mentioned, we considered one co–publication for each country) and disregarded the number of addresses in which a country appears.

Independent variables

As for collecting the data on the independent variables, we used the information available at the Centre d'Études Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales (CEPII), International Telecommunication Union, United Nations, Worldwide Governance Indicators project and InCites.

As for ICTs, economic, governance, intellectual and excellence distance, we determined the Euclidean distance between two countries concerning our choice of variables as a proxy for each distance.

Regarding internal scientific determinants, we should consider the resources devoted to R&D activities (financial, infrastructures and human capital). However, this information is not available for most of the countries. Thus, we used the number of publications of each country ( \({Pub}_{\mathrm{it}}\) and \({Pub}_{\mathrm{jt}}\) ) as a proxy, an approach widely applied in studies addressing research collaboration (e.g., Hoekman et al., 2010 ; Plotnikova & Rake, 2014 ).

As for geographical distance, we considered the distcap and contig variables from CEPII. Variable distcap —determined following the great circle formula, which uses geographic coordinates of the capital cities—was renamed as capitals . The dummy variable contig , renamed as contiguous , indicates whether the two countries share a common border (1) or not (0).

In determining the ICTs distance ( ICTs ), we considered the percentage of individuals with access to the internet in each country. While it is a partial measure of ICTs available in a country, information regarding ICTs infrastructures and other variables are not available on a global scale.

In measuring economic distance ( economic ), we used an index that takes into consideration the gross national income per capita, in addition to the life expectancy and education; the Human Development Index.

Regarding the governance distance ( governance ), we used the six dimensions (Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence/ Terrorism, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption) of governance from the Worldwide Governance Indicators (Kaufmann et al., 2010 ). For each dimension and country, we collected the data on the percentile rank.

Concerning cultural distance, we used variables from CEPII: common language ( language ), colonial link ( colony ), and common coloniser after 1945 ( common ). Language , colony and common assume a value of 1 if the two countries share a common language, had a colonial tie, and share a common coloniser, respectively, and zero otherwise.

As regards intellectual distance ( intellectual ), we determined a specialisation index looking at the distribution of publications by scientific domain for each country, which was computed similarly to the comparative advantage index (Balassa, 1965 ). The reference is the world’s publications, and values higher than 1 (lower than 1) reveal that the country is specialised (under–specialised) in the given scientific domain. The indicator was determined as follows:

where, \({Pub}_{\mathrm{cf}}\) is the number of publications of country c belonging to the scientific domain f, C and F is the set of countries and scientific domains, respectively. As scientific domains, we considered the first hierarchical level of Fields of Science (FoS) schema.

In addressing excellence distance ( excellence ), we used a widely used indicator: the top 10% most cited documents in the world (Hollanders et al., 2019 ; OECD, 2015 ). The top–percentile approach has become a widely accepted method for identifying characteristics of research excellence in international science. We used the % Documents in Top 10% available in InCites. A similar indicator, the 1% of the world's most cited documents, was used in a previous study to examine the research excellence of African universities (Tijssen & Kraemer-Mbula, 2018 ). Here, we determined for each country the percentage of the total scientific production that is in the 10% of the world's most cited documents.

In measuring social distance, we looked at past collaborations and a local similarity index, the Jaccard index (Jaccard, 1901 ; Lu & Zhou, 2011 ).

Past collaborations, which we label as Past , between country i and j is equal to 1 at time t if two countries collaborated in t–1 and zero otherwise.

As for shared collaborators, consider an undirected and weighted network G (V, E), where V is the set of nodes (countries) and E is the set of links ( \({Pub\_col}_{\mathrm{i},\mathrm{ j},\mathrm{ t}}\) ), where self–connections are not allowed. For countries i and j, let Γ(i) and Γ(j) denote the set of their collaborators (neighbours) at time t. Then, the dissimilarity regarding the shared collaborators is calculated using the following expression:

We use the gravity model to study the influence of several distances on IRC. The gravity model has been applied to several applications regarding interactions among countries, namely research collaboration (Hoekman et al., 2009 , 2010 ; Plotnikova & Rake, 2014 ). The rationale for this model is related to Newton’s law of universal gravitation, which affirms that the gravitational force between two objects depends on the masses of the two objects and the distance between them. In our context, the model is defined as follows:

Equation  3 states that the interaction between two countries ( \({Y}_{\mathrm{ij}}\) ) is directly proportional to internal scientific determinants (the number of publications in each country, \({P}_{\mathrm{it}}\) and \({P}_{\mathrm{jt}}\) ) and inversely proportional to the distances between the two countries ( \({D}_{\mathrm{ijt}}\) ) \(;{\varepsilon }_{\mathrm{ijt}}\) represents the error term.

Applying logarithms on both sides of Eq. ( 3 ), parameters ( \({\beta }_{0}, {\beta }_{1},{\beta }_{2}, {\beta }_{3})\) may be estimated by ordinary least squares (OLS). However, OLS entails several limitations (Silva & Tenreyro, 2006 ). First, given that the dependent variable is expressed in its logarithmic form, it is impossible to accommodate the existence of zeros. While our dependent variable is characterised by integers and nonnegative values, OLS assumes that it is a continuous, boundless variable, making this technique inappropriate for count data. The usage of OLS may be inconsistent even in the presence of heteroscedasticity (Silva & Tenreyro, 2006 ).

Thus, to estimate our model, we resorted to count data estimation techniques and employed a Poisson regression model with fixed effects (Silva & Tenreyro, 2006 ). We assume that the pub_col between two countries follows a Poisson distribution:

The conditional mean \({\mu }_{ijt}\) is given by:

This model may be inappropriate if there is conditional overdispersion (conditional variance higher than the conditional mean). However, overdispersion is only a critical issue when the goal is to determine the probability of a count event. Our goal is to determine the effects of the variables on the conditional mean, so overdispersion is irrelevant. Moreover, the Poisson estimator is very robust to any distributional misspecification, allows for any type of variance-mean relationship and serial correlation (one only needs to cluster the standard errors) (Cameron & Trivedi, 2005 ; Wooldridge, 2010 ).

Our dataset is characterised by an excess of zeros (72% of the total observations have pub_col  = 0). This would not be a problem if all zeros were generated by the same process. In this case, it is possible that observations with zero values could result from multiple processes. For example, research activities in a country could be very rare due to resource constraints (human capital, scientific infrastructures and financial), leading to outputs that might not include scientific publications indexed in the WoS. Thus, we conclude that the value of co-publications is a certain zero.

Therefore, we used the zero-inflated version of the Poisson regression model. A logit model is obtained for certain zeros, which allows predicting whether a given pair would belong to this class and then, a Poisson model predicts the counts for those pairs that are not certain zeros. Finally, the two models are combined (Cameron & Trivedi, 2005 ):

We also included time–period (year) dummies and cluster–robust standard errors at the country pair level.

We present both regression models in the Results section and, the Voung test to ascertain whether the zero-inflated version is more appropriate than the Poisson regression.

In the following figures, we present statistics on the number of documents published by African scientists (for the sake of simplicity, we use the term scientist for the authors of the documents, although a particular author is not necessarily a scientist in the strict sense of the word) and their contribution to the world output. In general, we can see that Africa's share of world output has increased both in the total number of documents and in the total number of documents with at least one foreign scientist (Fig.  1 ); in 2000 Africa world share was 1.3% given the total number of documents and 3.1% in 2017; in 2000 was 3.9% given the total number of documents with at least one foreign scientist and 7.6% in 2017.

Africa world share given the total number of documents and the documents with at least one foreign scientist. The percentages were determined using the documents indexed in the WoS and published between 2000 and 2017

The 10 African countries with the highest number of published documents between 2000 and 2017 (Fig.  2 ) Footnote 1 produced about 88% of the scientific knowledge generated on the continent during the same period. South Africa stands out, with scientists from that country publishing more than 233 thousand documents and scientists from Egypt more than 154 thousand. In this top 10, we observe countries from different regions: northern (Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco), western (Nigeria and Ghana), eastern (Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda) and southern (South Africa). Previous studies are consistent with our findings, as the countries in each region with the highest number of publications are the same (e.g., Mounton & Blanckenberg, 2018 ; UNESCO, 2015 ).

Number of documents of the 10 African countries with the highest number of documents indexed in the WoS and published between 2000 and 2017

Looking at the number of documents involving foreign scientists (who may be scientists from another African country or non-African countries), these countries account for 81% of the total number of documents from Africa with international collaboration. There are clear differences between countries on this dimension (Fig.  3 ). South Africa and Egypt are the countries with the highest number of documents involving foreign scientists, but in terms of their representativeness in the total number of documents, we observe the lowest values for these countries and Nigeria (40%, 42% and 33% respectively). At the other end of the scale, Uganda and Kenya (79% and 76% respectively) have the highest representativeness. When we look at all African countries, we find 29 (54%) producing 80% or more of their scientific output in collaboration with foreign scientists, and 34 (63%) producing 75% or more of their scientific output in this situation (see Appendix Table 6 ). It has been reported that African countries are heavily dependent on international funding to carry out research activities due to low investment by national governments in research activities (Beaudry et al., 2018 ). As consequence, most African countries report a high presence of documents with participation of foreign scientists in their scientific production.

Number of documents with at least one foreign scientist for the 10 African countries with the highest number of documents indexed in the WoS between 2000 and 2017 and its representativiness in the total number of documents of these countries in the same period

Regarding the contribution of these countries to Africa's total scientific production, we see that South Africa and Egypt have the highest share of documents (30.8% and 20.4% respectively) (Fig.  4 ). In terms of the percentage of the total number of African papers with foreign scientists, these countries continue to lead, although the percentages are lower compared to the percentage of the total number of documents (26.7% and 18.4% respectively). It is also interesting to note that Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda contribute more to African documents (in percentage) with foreign scientists (orange line) than to total African documents (blue bar). Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco have more or less the same contribution in both cases. Finally, Nigeria contributes more than Algeria and Kenya to the total number of African documents, but the latter two have a higher share of African documents with foreign scientists. Similar patterns are also observed between Morocco and Kenya, and between Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda. For the remaining countries, the share of African documents is less than 1% for 40 countries and less than 0.01% for 16 countries (see Appendix Table 6 ). For African documents with foreign scientists, the share is below 1% for 34 countries and below 0.01% for 7 countries (see Appendix Table 6 ).

Representativeness of documents of the 10 African countries with the highest number of documents indexed in the WoS published between 2000 and 2017 in the total number of documents published by African scientists in the same period, and representativeness of documents with at least one international collaboration from the same countries in the total number of documents of the same type published by African scientists

As for the African countries’ main collaborators, we note that among the top 5 collaborators are essentially non-African countries. Only in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda we do find African countries in this top 5 list, and South Africa stands out as African partner. Footnote 2 In this top group, we find countries that are known for their high performance in the scientific arena (e.g. the USA and the UK), that have had a colonial relationship with African countries (e.g., France with Algeria and Tunisia) and that host relevant organisations for funding research in Africa (e.g., the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Academic Exchange Service, all from Germany (Kozma et al., 2018 )) (see Fig.  5 ).

The main five foreign partners for the top 10 African countries with more documents published between 2000 and 2017

Descriptive

The descriptive statistics reveal that, on average, African countries produced circa 6 publications in collaboration with other countries in 17 years. However, the distribution of the variable pub_col is highly skewed to the left and at least 50% of the observations have zero pub_col (Table 1 ). As for past collaborations, we found collaborations at time t − 1 for 27% of the cases (Table 2 ) suggesting that despite the high presence of publications with at least one foreign scientist in the total number of publications of African countries, their activity concerning IRC is concentrated around a few countries.

For the remaining variables, the high dispersion was already expected given the nature of our object of observation.

Concerning the dummy variables, we observed that 1.2%, 20.8%, 0.73%, and 13.3% of the observations share a common border, a common language, had a colonial link, and a common coloniser, respectively (Table 2 ). Most of the IRC occurred between countries not sharing a common border, language, coloniser, and colonial link (Table 3 ).

Finally, the independent variables are not strongly correlated (Appendix Table 5 ). The highest correlations (between 0.39 and 0.51) were observed between the variables representing the ICTs, economic and governance distances.

The influence of each distance

The variables that represent the internal scientific determinants have a positive and significant impact (p-value < 0.05) on pub_col (Table 4 ). The very similar values of Pub i and Pub j result from the fact that the dependent variable represents collaboration, which has no direction.

Despite the very similar results for both regression models, Voung’s test leads us to conclude that the zero-inflation version of the Poisson regression is more appropriate.

The coefficients of the distance variables have the expected signal and are statistically significant (p–value < 0.05) for almost all variables (Table 4 ), except for the variables representing distance for governance and excellence, and a common coloniser.

Thus, physical distance and not sharing a common border are barriers to IRC. The absence or limited access to ICTs also emerges as an obstacle, corroborating previous findings (Muriithi et al., 2016 ; Tierney et al., 2013 ). Cultural distance imposes challenges to the collaboration process at least when there are no colonial ties and no common language. If knowledge bases do not overlap to some degree, joint research activities will result in less pub_col than if they are relatively close. Past collaborations allow for increased collaboration within the same country pair. If the collaborators of the countries in each pair are very different (implying a low level of common collaborators), it is not possible to exploit the trust–based relationships created by previous collaborations.

As for governance distance, the coefficient is negative but not statistically significant. Although we are not able to show the reasons for this result, we can suggest possible explanations. Bilateral and multilateral agreements and programmes have been widely applied in the context of IRC (Boekholt et al., 2009 ). The formal nature of these instruments may not allow that differences in governance impose major challenges to the collaboration process. These agreements are also seen as a means of bringing countries closer together through cooperation in science. Global societal challenges require the design and implementation of these instruments, as it is impossible for a single country to address these issues. In Africa, challenges as climate change, biodiversity loss, and health issues are expected to inflict severe damages to the continent (IPBES, 2018 ; WMO, 2020 ), and therefore the participation of African scientists in tackling these challenges is deemed important (AU-EU, 2017 ).

Sharing a former coloniser has no impact on IRC. In the dataset, about 12% of all observations have no common coloniser but speak the same language, while 9% of all observations had a common coloniser and speak the same language. Although the percentage is similar in both scenarios, country pairs satisfying the first condition account for 39% of the total pub_col , while country pairs satisfying the second condition represent 4%. Thus, we suggest that cultural proximity (as measured by a common coloniser) is not a sufficient condition for joint research activities if the necessary resources are unavailable. Of all observations that share a common coloniser and language, bilateral collaborations between African countries account for 40%.

As expected, not all the distances have the same effect on IRC. Past collaboration and a common language seem to have the largest effect; having collaborated in the past increases pub_col by 1.4%. The same is true for speaking the same language. Colonial ties increase IRC by 1.1%. The ICTs distance has the smallest effect: a 1% increase decreases pub_col by 0.06%.

Thus, our results confirm all the hypotheses raised except H5 and H8.

Discussion and conclusion

Scientific knowledge is important for the socioeconomic development of a nation. Studies disclosed a positive relationship between scientific knowledge generated in African countries and their economic growth. However, scarce resources for R&D could retard the development of their national S&T systems. In an effort to develop their scientific systems, IRC may be an appropriate strategy. Therefore, in determining policies to promote IRC, it is imperative to identify its barriers. The literature has shown that geographical, economic, political/governance, cultural, intellectual and excellence distance hampers IRC in other regions. However, to date, no single study has addressed this subject in the African context. The question therefore is that: Is Africa different? If so, what are the implications for science and science policy?

This study contributes to the topic through an analysis of a dataset that includes the bilateral collaborations of African countries (with another African country or a non–African country). Using panel data for 54 African economies, we examined the effects of geographical, ICTs, economic, governance, cultural, intellectual, excellence and social distance on the cross–national collaborations of these countries. The results suggest that Africa is indeed different. We found that geographical and ICTs distances, lack of colonial ties and common language, large discrepancies in the knowledge base, the inexistence of past collaborations, and the dissimilarities concerning the collaborators belonging to each country's network significantly and negatively impact IRC. On the other hand, we found that economic distance promotes IRC, contradicting previous studies, and that governance and excellence distances and a common coloniser do not affect IRC.

As for scientific policies, it is difficult to have a successful recipe. Nonetheless, policies must be adapted to each environment.

Policies aimed at fostering IRC should take into account that physical distance is a barrier. A way of minimizing this negative effect is to invest in infrastructures of ICTs that allow continuous interaction among scientists and access to key resources (databanks, specialised equipment). The availability of ICTs cannot overcome all the limitations of physical distance (the share of tacit knowledge continues to be an issue). However, it contributes to diminishing the number of visits and consequently the time and financial resources, so important in the context of African scientists.

Bilateral and multilateral collaborations with developed countries should continue, but always aiming to address scientific problems that hinder Africa's socioeconomic development. The focus on policies to promote IRC should consider the interactions between the academic, government and industrial sectors, which are weak in most African countries. In the absence of policies to foster these interactions, each sector will seek international research relationships, mainly the academy. This can lead to asymmetric relationships, especially when dealing with countries having solid S&T systems. African scientists may tend to adopt the research agenda of international partners, which would further weaken the internal interactions of the different sectors and consequently perpetuate the socioeconomic underdevelopment of African countries. We, therefore, advocate for a balance between policies that promote and support IRC with the most developed economies and those that stimulate interactions between the different actors. Simply applying policies designed in countries with well-defined interactions among these sectors will not be successful in this case.

Cultural proximity is seen as positive in joint research. However, our results have shown that this may not be a sufficient condition. Policies to promote interactions among African countries should focus on building transnational infrastructures that are adequately resourced and promote especially research collaboration between scientists from African countries. Only with the appropriate resources, it is possible to take advantage of the benefits of cultural proximity in research collaborations.

The scientific production of African countries is biased towards the Natural Sciences and Medical Sciences (Pouris & Ho, 2014 ). Since similar knowledge bases are essential to the process of collaboration, it seems important to focus more on policies aimed at promoting the development of the scientific domains with a weaker knowledge base, without neglecting the policies in scientific domains where African scientists can continue to contribute to the advancement of knowledge. In this way, a more balanced scientific spectrum can be achieved. Once a balanced knowledge base is obtained, collaborative policies should be differentiated by scientific domains to reflect the scientific knowledge needs of individual countries.

Since resources are scarce in Africa, policies to support IRC should not primarily aim at concentrating resources on a small group of researchers known for their excellent research to achieve excellence. Their S&T systems are at an early stage of development, so these countries need to build research capacity according to their priorities. Research utilisation (according to local expectations and needs) is more important than research excellence per se. The participation of African scientists in IRC will familiarise them with a quality-oriented research culture, which will be crucial for achieving research excellence in African science in the medium-long term and therefore in building solid S&T systems.

The statistics for all African countries are in Appendix .

The main partners for the remaining African countries are available upon request.

Acosta, M., Coronado, D., Ferrandiz, E., & Leon, M. D. (2011). Factors affecting inter-regional academic scientific collaboration within Europe: The role of economic distance. Scientometrics, 87 (1), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-010-0305-6

Article   Google Scholar  

Adams, J., Gurney, K., Hook, D., & Leydesdorff, L. (2014). International collaboration clusters in Africa. Scientometrics, 98 (1), 547–556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1060-2

Allard, G., Martinez, C. A., & Williams, C. (2012). Political instability, pro-business market reforms and their impacts on national systems of innovation. Research Policy, 41 (3), 638–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.12.005

Amabile, T. M., Patterson, C., Mueller, J., Wojcik, T., Odomirok, P. W., Marsh, M., & Kramer, S. J. (2001). Academic-practitioner collaboration in management research: A case of cross-profession collaboration. Academy of Management Journal, 44 (2), 418–431. https://doi.org/10.2307/3069464

Ambos, T. C., & Ambos, B. (2009). The impact of distance on knowledge transfer effectiveness in multinational corporations. Journal of International Management, 15 (1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2008.02.002

Article   MathSciNet   Google Scholar  

Asubiaro, T. V., & Badmus, O. M. (2020). Collaboration clusters, interdisciplinarity, scope and subject classification of library and information science research from Africa: An analysis of Web of Science publications from 1996 to 2015. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science . https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000620907958

AUC. (2014). Science, technology and innovation strategy for Africa 2024. Retrieved from https://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/33178-wd-stisa-english_-_final.pdf

AU-EU. (2017). Roadmap for a jointly funded AU-EU Research & Innovation Partnership on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Retrieved from https://wayback.archive-it.org/12090/20201013013946/http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/policy/ccse_roadmap_2017.pdf

Axelrod, R. (1997). The dissemination of culture—A model with local convergence and global polarization. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 41 (2), 203–226. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002797041002001

Ayanso, A., Cho, D. I., & Lertwachara, K. (2014). Information and communications technology development and the digital divide: A global and regional assessment. Information Technology for Development, 20 (1), 60–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2013.797378

Balassa, B. (1965). Trade liberalisation and revealed comparative advantage. Manchester School of Economic and Social Studies, 33 (2), 99–123. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.1965.tb00050.x

Balland, P. A. (2012). Proximity and the evolution of collaboration networks: Evidence from research and development projects within the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) industry. Regional Studies, 46 (6), 741–756. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2010.529121

Beaudry, C., Mounton, J., & Prozesky, H. (2018). Lack of funding. In C. Beaudry, J. Mounton, & H. Prozesky (Eds.), The next generation of scientists in Africa. African Minds.

Bleck, J., Dendere, C., & Sangare, B. (2018). Making North-south research collaborations work. Ps-Political Science & Politics, 51 (3), 554–558. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049096518000458

Boekholt, P., Edler, J., Cunningham, P., & Flanagan, K. (2009). Drivers of international collaboration in research. Retrieved from https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/712e874d-4f61-4977-9512-3bb326c2ce63/language-en

Bonikowski, B. (2010). Cross-national interaction and cultural similarity: A relational analysis. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 51 (5), 315–348. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020715210376854

Bos, N., Zimmerman, A., Olson, J., Yew, J., Yerkie, J., Dahl, E., & Olson, G. (2007). From shared databases to communities of practice: A taxonomy of collaboratories. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12 (2), 652–672. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00343.x

Boschma, R. A. (2005). Proximity and innovation: A critical assessment. Regional Studies, 39 (1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/0034340052000320887

Bozeman, B., & Corley, E. (2004). Scientists’ collaboration strategies: Implications for scientific and technical human capital. Research Policy, 33 (4), 599–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2004.01.008

Brooks, H. (1994). The relationship between science and technology. Research Policy, 23 (5), 477–486. https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-7333(94)01001-3

Cameron, A. C., & Trivedi, P. K. (2005). Microeconometrics: Methods and Applications . Cambridge University Press.

Capello, R., & Caragliu, A. (2018). Proximities and the intensity of scientific relations: synergies and nonlinearities. International Regional Science Review, 41 (1), 7–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0160017615626985

Ciarli, T., & Rafols, I. (2019). The relation between research priorities and societal demands: The case of rice. Research Policy, 48 (4), 949–967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.10.027

Clarivate. (2020). Web of Science Journal Evaluation Process and Selection Criteria. Retrieved from https://clarivate.com/webofsciencegroup/journal-evaluation-process-and-selection-criteria/

Cohen, W. M., & Levinthal, D. A. (1990). Absorptive-capacity - a new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35 (1), 128–152. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393553

Dahdouh-Guebas, F., Ahimbisibwe, J., Van Moll, R., & Koedam, N. (2003). Neo-colonial science by the most industrialised upon the least developed countries in peer-reviewed publishing. Scientometrics, 56 (3), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1022374703178

Dhanaraj, C., Lyles, M. A., Steensma, H. K., & Tihanyi, L. (2004). Managing tacit and explicit knowledge transfer in IJVs: The role of relational embeddedness and the impact on performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 35 (5), 428–442. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400098

Ding, W. W., Levin, S. G., Stephan, P. E., & Winkler, A. E. (2010). The impact of information technology on academic scientists’ productivity and collaboration patterns. Management Science, 56 (9), 1439–1461. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1100.1195

Eduan, W., & Jiang, Y. Q. (2019). Patterns of the China-Africa research collaborations from 2006 to 2016: A bibliometric analysis. Higher Education, 77 (6), 979–994. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0314-6

Efstathiou, J. A., Bvochora-Nsingo, M., Gierga, D. P., Kayembe, M. K. A., Mmalane, M., Russell, A. H., & Dryden-Peterson, S. (2014). Addressing the growing cancer burden in the wake of the AIDS Epidemic in Botswana: The BOTSOGO collaborative partnership. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 89 (3), 468–475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2014.03.033

Elobu, A. E., Kintu, A., Galukande, M., Kaggwa, S., Mijjumbi, C., Tindimwebwa, J., Roche, A., Dubowitz, G., Ozgediz, D., & Lipnick, M. (2014). Evaluating international global health collaborations: Perspectives from surgery and anesthesia trainees in Uganda. Surgery, 155 (4), 585–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2013.11.007

Fernandez, A., Ferrandiz, E., & Leon, M. D. (2016). Proximity dimensions and scientific collaboration among academic institutions in Europe: The closer, the better? Scientometrics, 106 (3), 1073–1092. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1819-8

Forero-Pineda, C. (2006). The impact of stronger intellectual property rights on science and technology in developing countries. Research Policy, 35 (6), 808–824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2006.04.003

Frame, J. D., & Carpenter, M. P. (1979). International research collaboration. Social Studies of Science, 9 (4), 481–497.

Gertler, M. S. (2003). Tacit knowledge and the economic geography of context, or The undefinable tacitness of being (there). Journal of Economic Geography, 3 (1), 75–99. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/3.1.75

Gilsing, V., Nooteboom, B., Vanhaverbeke, W., Duysters, G., & van den Oord, A. (2008). Network embeddedness and the exploration of novel technologies: Technological distance, betweenness centrality and density. Research Policy, 37 (10), 1717–1731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2008.08.010

Goddard, C., & Wierzbicka, A. (2001). Language and Society: Cultural Concerns. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 8315–8320). Pergamon.

Granovetter, M. (1985). Economic-action and social-structure - the problem of embeddedness. American Journal of Sociology, 91 (3), 481–510. https://doi.org/10.1086/228311

Gui, Q. C., Liu, C., & Du, D. B. (2019). Globalization of science and international scientific collaboration: A network perspective. Geoforum, 105 , 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.06.017

Heimeriks, G., & Vasileiadou, E. (2008). Changes or transition? Analysing the use of ICTs in the sciences. Social Science Information Sur Les Sciences Sociales, 47 (1), 5–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018407085747

Hoekman, J., Frenken, K., & Tijssen, R. J. W. (2010). Research collaboration at a distance: Changing spatial patterns of scientific collaboration within Europe. Research Policy, 39 (5), 662–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2010.01.012

Hoekman, J., Frenken, K., & van Oort, F. (2009). The geography of collaborative knowledge production in Europe. Annals of Regional Science, 43 (3), 721–738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-008-0252-9

Hollanders, H., Es-Sadki, N., & Merkelbach, I. (2019). European innovation scoreboard 2019. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/38781

Holmarsdottir, H. B. (2013). COMPARE Forum: The idea of North-South and South-South collaboration. Compare-a Journal of Comparative and International Education, 43 (2), 265–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2013.765274

Huston, T. L., & Levinger, G. (1978). Interpersonal-attraction and relationships. Annual Review of Psychology, 29 , 115–156. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.29.020178.000555

Inglesi-Lotz, R., & Pouris, A. (2013). The influence of scientific research output of academics on economic growth in South Africa: An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) application. Scientometrics, 95 (1), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0817-3

IPBES. (2018). The IPBES regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Africa. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3236178

Jaccard, P. (1901). Etude de la distribution florale dans une portion des Alpes et du Jura. Bulletin De La Societe Vaudoise Des Sciences Naturelles, 37 , 547–579. https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-266450

Katz, J. S. (1994). Geographical proximity and scientific collaboration. Scientometrics, 31 (1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02018100

Katz, J. S., & Hicks, D. (1997). How much is a collaboration worth? A Calibrated Bibliometric Model. Scientometrics, 40 (3), 541–554. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02459299

Katz, J. S., & Martin, B. R. (1997). What is research collaboration? Research Policy, 26 (1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0048-7333(96)00917-1

Kaufmann, D., Kraay, A., & Mastruzzi, M. (2010). The Worldwide Governance Indicators : A Summary of Methodology, Data and analytical Issues. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5430. Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1682130

Kozma, C., Medina, C., & Costas, R. (2018). Research funding landscapes in Africa. In C. Beaudry, J. Mounton, & H. Prozesky (Eds.), The next generation of scientists in Africa. African Minds.

Kraut, R., Egido, C., & Galegher, J. (1988). Patterns of contact and communication in scientific research collaboration . Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 1988 ACM conference on Computer-supported cooperative work, Portland, Oregon, USA.

Kraut, R. E., Galegher, J., & Egido, C. (1987). Relationships and tasks in scientific research collaboration. Human-Computer Interaction, 3 (1), 31–58. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327051hci0301_3

Laudel, G. (2001). Collaboration, creativity and rewards: Why and how scientists collaborate. International Journal of Technology Management, 22 (7–8), 762–781. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijtm.2001.002990

Lazarsfeld, P., & Merton, R. K. (1954). Friendship as a social process: A substantive and methodological analysis. In M. Berger, T. Abel, & H. Charles (Eds.), Freedom and control in modern society. Van Nostrand.

Loukanova, S., Prytherch, H., Blank, A., Duysburgh, E., Tomson, G., Gustafsson, L. L., Sié, A., Williams, J., Leshabari, M., Haefeli, W. E., Sauerborn, R., & Fonn, S. (2014). Nesting doctoral students in collaborative North-South partnerships for health systems research. Global Health Action . https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.24070

Lu, L. Y., & Zhou, T. (2011). Link prediction in complex networks: A survey. Physica a-Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications, 390 (6), 1150–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2010.11.027

Lucas, L. M. (2006). The role of culture on knowledge transfer: The case of the multinational corporation. Learning Organization, 13 (3), 257–275. https://doi.org/10.1108/09696470610661117

Luukkonen, T., Persson, O., & Sivertsen, G. (1992). Understanding patterns of international scientific collaboration. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 17 (1), 101–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/016224399201700106

Makela, K., Kalla, H. K., & Piekkari, R. (2007). Interpersonal similarity as a driver of knowledge sharing within multinational corporations. International Business Review, 16 (1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2006.11.002

Maleka, E. N., Currie, P., & Schneider, H. (2019). Research collaboration on community health worker programmes in low-income countries: An analysis of authorship teams and networks. Global Health Action, 12 (1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1606570

Maluleka, J. R., Onyancha, O. B., & Ajiferuke, I. (2016). Factors influencing research collaboration in LIS schools in South Africa. Scientometrics, 107 (2), 337–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-1846-0

Marfo, K., Pence, A., LeVine, R. A., & LeVine, S. (2011). Strengthening Africa’s contributions to child development research: Introduction. Child Development Perspectives, 5 (2), 104–111.

Matenga, T. F. L., Zulu, J. M., Corbin, J. H., & Mweemba, O. (2019). Contemporary issues in north-south health research partnerships: perspectives of health research stakeholders in Zambia. Health Research Policy and Systems . https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-018-0409-7

Mbaku, J. M. (2020). Deepening good governance: inclusion, democracy, and security. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ForesightAfrica2020_20200110.pdf

McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Cook, J. M. (2001). Birds of a feather: Homophily in social networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27 , 415–444. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415

MIF. (2020). 2020 Ibrahim Index of African Governance . Retrieved from https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/iiag/downloads

Mouton, J. (2018). African science: A legacy of neglect. In C. Beaudry, J. Mouton, & H. Prozesky (Eds.), The next generation of scientists in Africa. African Minds.

Mouton, J., & Blanckenberg, J. (2018). African science A bibliometric analysis. In C. Beaudry & H. Prozesky (Eds.), The Next generation of scientists in Africa. African Minds.

Mouton, J., Basson, I., Blanckenberg, J., Boshoff, N., Prozesky, H., Redelinghuys, H., . . . Van Niekerk, M. (2019). The state of the South African research enterprise. DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy .

Mouton, J., Gaillard, J., & Lill, M. V. (2015). Functions of science granting councils in sub-Saharan Africa. In N. Cloete, P. Maassen, & T. Bailey (Eds.), Knowledge production and contradictory functions in African higher education. African Minds.

Muriithi, P., Horner, D., & Pemberton, L. (2016). Factors contributing to adoption and use of information and communication technologies within research collaborations in Kenya. Information Technology for Development, 22 , 84–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2015.1121856

Muriithi, P., Horner, D., Pemberton, L., & Wao, H. (2018). Factors influencing research collaborations in Kenyan universities. Research Policy, 47 (1), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.10.002

Newman, M. E. J. (2001). Clustering and preferential attachment in growing networks. Physical Review E . https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.64.025102

Newman, M. E. J. (2004). Coauthorship networks and patterns of scientific collaboration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101 , 5200–5205. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0307545100

NPCA. (2014). African Innovation Outlook 2014. Retrieved from https://www.nepad.org/publication/african-innovation-outlook-ii

Ntuli, H., Inglesi-Lotz, R., Chang, T. Y., & Pouris, A. (2015). Does research output cause economic growth or vice versa? Evidence from 34 OECD countries. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 66 (8), 1709–1716. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23285

OECD. (2015). OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2015 .

Onyancha, O. B. (2020). A meta-analysis study of the relationship between research and economic development in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientometrics, 123 (2), 655–675. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03390-z

Owusu-Nimo, F., & Boshoff, N. (2017). Research collaboration in Ghana: Patterns, motives and roles. Scientometrics, 110 (3), 1099–1121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-2221-x

Pan, R. K., Kaski, K., & Fortunato, S. (2012). World citation and collaboration networks: uncovering the role of geography in science. Scientific Reports . https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00902

Plotnikova, T., & Rake, B. (2014). Collaboration in pharmaceutical research: Exploration of country-level determinants. Scientometrics, 98 (2), 1173–1202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1182-6

Pond, R., van Oort, F., & Frenken, K. (2007). The geographical and institutional proximity of research collaboration. Papers in Regional Science, 86 (3), 423–443. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1435-5957.2007.00126.x

Pouris, A., & Ho, Y. S. (2014). Research emphasis and collaboration in Africa. Scientometrics, 98 (3), 2169–2184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1156-8

Pouris, A., & Pouris, A. (2009). The state of science and technology in Africa (2000–2004): A scientometric assessment. Scientometrics, 79 (2), 297–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0419-x

Reddy, P., Taylor, S. E., & Sifunda, S. (2002). Research capacity building and collaboration between South African and American partners: The adaptation of an intervention model for HIV/AIDS prevention in corrections research. Aids Education and Prevention, 14 (5), 92–102. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.14.7.92.23860

Romer, P. M. (1986). Increasing returns and long-run growth. Journal of Political Economy, 94 (5), 1002–1037. https://doi.org/10.1086/261420

Sarewitz, D., & Pielke, R. A. (2007). The neglected heart of science policy: Reconciling supply of and demand for science. Environmental Science & Policy, 10 (1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2006.10.001

Sawyerr, A. (2004). African universities and the challenge of research capacity development. Journal of Higher Education in Africa / Revue de l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique, 2 (1), 213–242.

Google Scholar  

Scherngell, T., & Hu, Y. J. (2011). Collaborative knowledge production in China: Regional evidence from a gravity model approach. Regional Studies, 45 (6), 755–772. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343401003713373

Schiermeier, Q. (2021). Russian academics decry law change that threatens scientific outreach. Nature . https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00385-5

Shehatta, I., & Mahmood, K. (2017). Bibliometric patterns and indicators of research collaboration of Egyptian health scientists: 1980–2014. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, 22 (2), 45–65. https://doi.org/10.22452/mjlis.vol22no2.4

Sherwood, A. L., & Covin, J. G. (2008). Knowledge acquisition in university-industry alliances: An empirical investigation from a learning theory perspective. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 25 (2), 162–179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5885.2008.00292.x

Silva, J., & Tenreyro, S. (2006). The log of gravity. Review of Economics and Statistics, 88 (4), 641–658. https://doi.org/10.1162/rest.88.4.641

Skupien, S., & Ruffin, N. (2020). The geography of research funding: semantics and beyond. Journal of Studies in International Education, 24 (1), 24–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315319889896

Sokolov-Mladenovic, S., Cvetanovic, S., & Mladenovic, I. (2016). R&D expenditure and economic growth: EU28 evidence for the period 2002–2012. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja, 29 (1), 1005–1020. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677x.2016.1211948

Solow, R. M. (1956). A contribution to the theory of economic-growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 70 (1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.2307/1884513

Sommer, R. (1959). Studies in personal-space. Sociometry, 22 (3), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.2307/2785668

Sonnenwald, D. H. (2007). Scientific collaboration. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 41 , 643–681. https://doi.org/10.1002/aris.2007.1440410121

Sooryamoorthy, R. (2010). Science and scientific collaboration in South Africa: Apartheid and after. Scientometrics, 84 (2), 373–390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0106-y

Sooryamoorthy, R. (2018). The production of science in Africa: An analysis of publications in the science disciplines, 2000–2015. Scientometrics, 115 (1), 317–349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2675-0

Storper, M., & Venables, A. J. (2004). Buzz: Face-to-face contact and the urban economy. Journal of Economic Geography, 4 (4), 351–370. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnlecg/lbh027

Tierney, W. M., Nyandiko, W. N., Siika, A. M., Wools-Kaloustian, K., Sidle, J. E., Kiplagat, J., Bell, A., & Inui, T. S. (2013). "These are Good Problems to Have ... ": Establishing a collaborative research partnership in East Africa. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 28 , S625–S638. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-013-2459-4

Tijssen, R., & Kraemer-Mbula, E. (2018). Research excellence in Africa: Policies, perceptions, and performance. Science and Public Policy, 45 (3), 392–403. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scx074

Torre, A. (2008). On the role played by temporary geographical proximity in knowledge transmission. Regional Studies, 42 (6), 869–889. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400801922814

UNESCO. (2001). UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, adopted by the 31st session of the General Conference of UNESCO, Paris, 2 November 2001. In.

UNESCO. (2015). UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 . Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/unesco_science_report

UNESCO. (2021). UNESCO Science Report: the race against time for smarter development (9231004506978-92-3-100450-6). Retrieved from Paris: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/notice?id=p::usmarcdef_0000377433

Vieira, E. S., & Cerdeira, J. (2022). The integration of African countries in international research networks. Scientometrics, 127 (4), 1995–2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04297-7

Vieira, E. S., Cerdeira, J., & Teixeira, A. A. C. (2022). Which distance dimensions matter in international research collaboration? A cross-country analysis by scientific domain. Journal of Informetrics , 16 (2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2022.101259

Wagner, C. S., Brahmakulam, I., Jackson, B., Wong, A., & Yoda, T. (2001). Science and Technology Collaboration: Building Capacity in Developing Countries? Retrieved from Pittsburgh: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2005/MR1357.0.pdf

Walsh, J. P. (1996). The virtual college: Computer-mediated communication and scientific work. The Information Society, 12 (4), 343–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/019722496129341

Walsh, J. P., & Bayma, T. (1996). Computer networks and scientific work. Social Studies of Science, 26 (3), 661–703. https://doi.org/10.1177/030631296026003006

Welch, D. E., & Welch, L. S. (2008). The importance of language in international knowledge transfer. Management International Review, 48 (3), 339–360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-008-0019-7

WMO. (2020). State of the Climate in Africa 2019. Retrieved from https://library.wmo.int/doc_num.php?explnum_id=10421

Wooldridge, J. M. (2010). Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data (2 ed. Vol. 1): MIT Press.

Zdravkovic, M., Chiwona-Karltun, L., & Zink, E. (2016). Experiences and perceptions of South-South and North-South scientific collaboration of mathematicians, physicists and chemists from five southern African universities. Scientometrics, 108 (2), 717–743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-1989-z

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Professors João Santos Silva from the University of Surrey and Aurora Teixeira from the University of Porto for helpful comments on this paper.

Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). Elizabeth S. Vieira thanks Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for funding through program DL 57/2016—Norma transitória (DL 57/2016/CP1346/CT0017). This work received financial support from national funds (FCT/MCTES, FCT and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through the project [UIDB/50006/2020]. The research by Jorge Cerdeira has been supported by FCT within the scope of UIDB/00727/2020IDB/04105/2020.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Instituto de Sociologia, Universidade do Porto, Via Panorâmica, 4150-564, Porto, Portugal

Jorge Cerdeira

Faculdade de Letras, Universidade do Porto, Via Panorâmica, 4150-564, Porto, Portugal

Departamento de Ciências Dos Computadores, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal

João Mesquita

LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências dos Computadores, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal

Elizabeth S. Vieira

Centro de Economia e Finanças, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-464, Porto, Portugal

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth S. Vieira .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

The authors have no potential conflict of interest.

See Tables 5 and 6 .

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cerdeira, J., Mesquita, J. & Vieira, E.S. International research collaboration: is Africa different? A cross-country panel data analysis. Scientometrics 128 , 2145–2174 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-023-04659-9

Download citation

Received : 13 December 2021

Accepted : 06 February 2023

Published : 07 March 2023

Issue Date : April 2023

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-023-04659-9

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• International research collaboration
• Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

COVID-19 and TDR

• Standing Committee
• Joint Coordinating Board
• Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee
• Scientific Working Groups

• Malaria research
• Tuberculosis research
• Vector-borne diseases
• Neglected tropical diseases research 

Implementation research training materials

• Massive open online course (MOOC) on implementation research
• Postgraduate training scheme  
• Regional training centres
• Clinical Research Leadership fellowship programme

TDR Global profiles

• Women in science
• TDR impact research grants scheme
• Gender and infectious disease research
• Knowledge management
• SORT IT operational research and training

All feature stories

All Publications

TDR Strategy 2024-29

Global Health Matters podcast »

Grants and other funding opportunities

eTDR portal

Our partnerships

ESSENCE on Health Research

Social Innovation in Health Initiative

The Access and Delivery Partnership

Building a sustainable health research ecosystem in Ghana and across Africa

Almost 15 years ago, when the University of Ghana established its Office of Research, Innovation, and Development, it did so with the goal of bolstering the West African nation’s research capacity. 

Capacity building works

A decade-long partnership

Newly enrolled master’s students during their lab induction at WACCBIP, University of Ghana. Credit: WACCBIP

In 2014 the University of Ghana’s School of Public Health signed a partnership agreement with TDR to create a regional training center that leads activities in the African region for strengthening capacity in implementation research to tackle infectious diseases of poverty.

The initiative has so far trained more than 25,000 individuals across Africa, including health practitioners, decision-makers and researchers.                                    

“Looking at how far we’ve come as a training centre, it is our desire to become a centre of excellence,” said Professor Phyllis Dako-Gyeke, who led the TDR-supported research training programmes at University of Ghana until her  passing   on 11 June. 

But the success of an almost decade-long relationship is not without its challenges. Sustainable donor support and aligned interests on research priorities remain key, she said. 

Real-time research 

A community health worker conducts an interview in Obuasi, Ghana, to identify barriers and facilitators for TB control. Credit: African Regional Training Centre

Dr Emmanuel Asampong, coordinator of the regional training centre at the University of Ghana, notes that “the impact of implementation research on disease themes in Africa and beyond is impressive because the initiative promotes the use of real-time research results in various contexts – such as neglected tropical diseases programmes, national malaria programmes, and tuberculosis control programmes – to provide solutions to challenges.” 

The global training programme, which has played a significant role in positioning University of Ghana as a research-intensive university, supports seven regional training centres across six WHO regions. With additional partners in Colombia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Senegal and Tunisia, the programme develops and updates implementation research courses, provides faculty training and supports career development. 

The University of Ghana also partners with TDR on a  postgraduate training scheme , which provides a full academic scholarship for master’s students. The training is specifically focused on implementation research to tackle infectious diseases of poverty. 

The list of TDR alumni across the world runs long, and the University of Ghana can claim many public health leaders among them. 

“My postgraduate training at the University of Ghana, supported by TDR, was an invaluable catalyst in shaping my academic and professional journey,” said Dr Mbele Whiteson, Senior Resident Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health in Zambia. “I have learned to recognize the intricate interplay between health outcomes and social determinants.”‎ For more information, please contact Dr Mahnaz Vahedi .

View Professor Awandare’s full presentation to TDR’s Joint Coordinating Board   

Published on 24 July 2024 in ISS Today

 Print

Africa has much to gain from a more contained BRI

Despite the belt and road’s mixed record in africa, careful involvement in china’s smaller, greener projects could be beneficial..

By Jana de Kluiver Research Officer, Africa in the World

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has gained significant traction in Africa since its launch in 2013, with 53 African nations participating in varying degrees. In 2023, African countries received US$21.7 billion in BRI deals, including investments in ports, railways and renewable energy.

As China shifts BRI towards smaller, greener and less risky projects, Africa will have much to gain from the programme. But countries need to be more proactive in aligning the potential benefits with their own strategic priorities, and galvanising efforts to strengthen the governance of BRI.

September’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is an opportunity for Africa to enhance its agency. China will use FOCAC to deepen BRI cooperation, with discussions focusing on concessional development finance, infrastructure and trade. The shift from the Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024) to a new framework has already sparked debate about its potential impact on Africa.

The ‘small and beautiful’ BRI model focuses on less financially risky projects for Beijing and host countries

Originally conceived to emulate the ancient Silk Road trade routes, the BRI has grown significantly. It now involves 151 countries spanning Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. It includes the Digital Silk Road and Health Silk Road, broadening its scope beyond infrastructure to encompass various fields including tourism, capacity building and nuclear energy.

The BRI has a strategic element, providing China with a platform to project its power globally. The initiative ensures long-term access to resources and markets while positioning China as a key ally to developing nations, challenging traditional Western dominance in these regions.

The BRI also offers an alternative source of development finance, particularly benefitting poorer African nations by addressing substantial infrastructure investment deficits with minimal conditions. Consequently, China has become a pivotal lender in Africa, extending loans exceeding US$170 billion to 49 African countries and regional institutions from 2000-22. BRI projects are often executed swiftly by Chinese contractors on a turnkey basis, making them more attractive than the slower, condition-heavy financing from institutions like the World Bank and African Development Bank.

However, BRI projects haven’t always been well conceived or strategically chosen, leading to outcomes that fail to deliver the desired economic impact. Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway for example has been criticised for not being economically viable or benefitting local communities. These kinds of ‘white elephant’ projects intensify worries about debt sustainability – if they don’t generate sufficient economic benefit, countries may struggle to repay loans.

While BRI projects have contributed to debt distress in some host countries, experts argue that this isn’t a deliberate strategy by Beijing. The ‘debt trap diplomacy’ narrative has been challenged, with an emphasis on Chinese banks’ need to recover their investments. For instance, Ethiopia renegotiated its US$4 billion railway project loan, extending the repayment period without losing control over the infrastructure. However, the impact of commercial loans for BRI projects still comes under scrutiny, as in the Zambia case.

The BRI is evolving, engaging new stakeholders and changing modes of operation

Despite state guarantees and high interest rates, Beijing has reassessed its appetite for high-risk lending and scaled back accordingly, with an increasing emphasis on sustainable investments. The ‘small and beautiful’ model of BRI investment, established in 2021, focuses on smaller, greener, less financially risky projects for both Beijing and host countries.

The aim is to mitigate the environmental degradation and social discontent that have plagued some of the larger, more ambitious projects such as Uganda’s Kampala-Entebbe Expressway . Chinese President Xi Jinping’s keynote speech at the third Belt and Road Forum in 2023 emphasised a strategic shift towards more sustainable, community-focused projects. He highlighted priority areas such as renewable energy, healthcare and technology, which are expected to yield long-term benefits for local communities.

Regardless of Beijing’s attempts to improve the BRI’s outcomes, success will be limited if African countries do not approach the initiative more proactively. Paul Nantulya, a Research Associate and China Specialist at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, emphasises the importance of African agency and ownership in strengthening accountability and reducing risk.

'When all the initiative in terms of concept design, funding instruments, and execution is coming from Chinese entities, then the BRI partner country feels less constrained by domestic accountability mechanisms since they don’t have major stakes involved,' he says.

Nantulya says that African countries must develop a strategic approach towards the programme. 'While there has been quite a bit of deliberate policy thinking on the Chinese side, I don’t see a corresponding effort on the African side to identify Africa’s strategic approach towards China and Africa’s interest in the BRI.'

African states must avoid becoming a platform for China or any other external power’s agenda

It is unlikely that China, under Xi Jinping’s leadership, will abandon the BRI. Rather, the initiative is evolving, engaging new stakeholders and changing modes of operation. Stephen Brawer, Chairman of the Belt & Road Institute in Sweden, says the BRI remains crucial to China’s global strategy and economic diplomacy. He says Beijing has already adjusted the initiative to enhance its sustainability, suggesting it will continue being a significant force in international relations.

A leaner BRI addresses numerous problems, enabling development that has a more immediate impact on local communities, such as renewable energy projects in Kenya and South Africa. It also better aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. A reformed BRI could be a valuable tool for Africa’s development, but won’t fix all the continent’s problems.

The most significant lesson from a decade of African engagement is clear: countries must define their goals and strategies before engaging with external actors. Otherwise, they risk becoming platforms for the agendas of external powers, weakening their own domestic credibility in the process.

In the build-up to this year’s FOCAC, African countries must prepare to articulate clearly what they want from Beijing. This will involve having conversations with regional counterparts and considering how new projects fit into broader initiatives, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Exclusive rights to re-publish ISS Today articles have been given to  Daily Maverick  in South Africa and  Premium Times  in Nigeria. For media based outside South Africa and Nigeria that want to re-publish articles, or for queries about our re-publishing policy,  email us . 

Development partners

Related content.

Are the Olympics ‘wide open’ to Africans?

Cracks emerge in Hichilema’s bold anti-corruption platform

Is proceeding with elections in South Sudan the lesser of many evils?

ICJ rules that ending Palestine’s occupation is a global undertaking

Official development assistance (ODA)

Official development assistance (ODA) is government aid that promotes and specifically targets the economic development and welfare of developing countries. ODA has been the main source of financing for development aid since it was adopted by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) as the “gold standard” of foreign aid in 1969. The OECD is the only official source of reliable, comparable, and complete statistics on ODA.

• Preliminary 2023 ODA statistics
• How is ODA data collected?

Select a language

Key messages, supporting the economic development and welfare of low- and middle-income countries.

ODA is financial support from official providers to aid recipients (low- and middle-income countries) in areas such as health, sanitation, education, and infrastructure. It mainly consists of either grants or “soft” loans and it makes up over two thirds of external finance for least-developed countries.

Defining which countries and territories are eligible to receive ODA

The DAC List of ODA-eligible recipients shows all countries and territories meeting the criteria to receive ODA. These consist of all low- and middle-income countries based on gross national income (GNI) per capita as published by the World Bank, with the exception of former G8 members, EU members, and countries with a firm date for entry into the EU. The list also includes all of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations (UN). It is reviewed every three years by the OECD’s DAC.

Monitoring ODA for better targeting and results

The DAC tracks and monitors ODA so that individual donor efforts are measured alongside the broader development finance landscape. The OECD ensures that providers adhere to the primary objective of ODA (the economic development and welfare of aid recipients) and inform them about where their ODA should go relative to existing needs.

International aid rises in 2023 with increased support to Ukraine and humanitarian needs

International aid from official donors rose in 2023 to a new all-time high of USD 223.7 billion, up from USD 211 billion in 2022, as provider countries increased aid flows to Ukraine and directed more humanitarian assistance to developing countries. This aid amounted to 0.37% of DAC countries’ combined gross national income.

ODA for gender equality dropped for the first time in a decade

The share of development finance for gender equality decreased after a decade of progress—from 45% in 2019-20 to 43% in 2021-22. Less than 1% of ODA is aimed at ending violence against women and girls.

What is ODA and how is it reported?

Frequently asked questions on ODA

Related data, related publications.

Related policy issues

• ODA eligibility and conditions
• ODA standards
• ODA trends and statistics

• Across China: China strengthens agricultural research collaboration with Africa

SANYA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- After several academic exchange trips to China, Thomas Gbokie, former deputy agriculture minister for regional development, research and extension at the Liberia Ministry of Agriculture, decided to continue his studies in China in 2018.

After completing his master's degree, which was jointly awarded by Nanjing Agricultural University and the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, he jumped at the opportunity to study for a plant pathology PhD, specializing in disease control in coffee.

At Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City in Sanya, Gbokie walks quickly between test fields and a laboratory.

"The environment and the climatic conditions of Sanya and Liberia are almost the same, so I hope to put what I learned here into practice in my country," he said.

Agricultural cooperation between China and Africa has become increasingly close. The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) has so far trained 276 students from African countries, and Nanjing Agricultural University has trained 345 senior agricultural technical and management personnel for African countries Since 2003.

Capacity building is key to achieving sustainable agricultural production in Africa, said Felix Dapare Dakora, former president of the African Academy of Sciences, adding that the Chinese government has given a lot of support to African countries in capacity building, and more and more Africans are coming to study in China.

In response to the urgent need of African countries for food production and agricultural development, China has shared knowledge and technologies.

In a field in Sangeng Village of Sanya's Yazhou District, Nigerian student Oluwole Gregory Ijiti followed his mentor Chen Qing to harvest new varieties of cassava under the scorching sun.

"This new variety can be eaten both fresh and processed, and has the characteristics of high yield, insect resistance and strong adaptability," Chen said.

Nigeria is the country with the largest harvested area for cassava, an important staple crop in the country. Chen, a researcher at CATAS, helped Ijiti find his research direction in consideration of the actual needs in cassava production in Nigeria and Ijiti's goal of improving capacity for technological innovation.

Tanzanian student Mkapa Dietram Samson came to Sanya with a clear goal -- to learn as much as he could about sisal. Tanzania is known for sisal production, but lack of advanced technology has seriously restricted the development of the industry in the country. Tanzania is looking to carry out cooperative research with China to improve the production level of its sisal industry.

"The mainstream sisal variety grown in China, the H11648, is from Tanzania. But it is amazing to find how fast technology has developed here," Samson said, adding that he hopes to learn and introduce China's sisal breeding technology and seedling tissue culture technology back home.

In order to expand the test area and speed up the research process, Samson's mentor Yi Kexian, with CATAS, planted many sisal plants in the open space around the laboratory. Yi often takes his African student around on an electric bike to check sisal growth and record data.

Many Chinese agricultural research institutions have extended invitations to African agricultural researchers to study in China and undertake joint research at the workshop on China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation under FAO South-South Triangular Cooperation Framework held in Sanya this year.

Sun Tan, vice president of CAAS, said that the academy would build an international education institute in Sanya, focusing on recruiting African students to carry out scientific and technological innovation in the seed industry, and the number of international students there will double within five years.

Meanwhile, 30 young African agricultural scientists will be provided with one-year training at the National Nanfan Research Institute (Sanya) under the CAAS, Sun said. Enditem

Go to Forum >> 0 Comment(s)

Add your comments....

• User Name Required
• Your Comment

Africa Country Research Project Posters - Printable & Digital

What educators are saying

Also included in.

Description

Africa Country Research Project Posters are a fun and simple way for your students to research countries in Africa. These project posters are student friendly and help guide your students in what exactly to research. These posters are perfect for students to display their research! And they look fabulous on a bulletin board or hallway display!

This is part of my Country Research Project Posters Version 2 BUNDLE . There are seven sets included with over 200 countries from all over the world.

This is the second version of my Country Research Project Posters. You can check out my other version HERE .

Included are printable versions AND digital Google Slides versions

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

There are 53 countries included:

• Burkina Faso
• Central African Republic
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Ivory Coast
• Sao Tome & Principe
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• South Sudan

Also included is a blank one so it will work with any country!

For each country, the following research topics are included:

• Just the facts (leader, language, population, currency, etc)
• Show where it is on a world map
• Flag, including the symbolism and meaning
• Timeline of important events
• VIP (very important person)
• Holidays & celebrations
• Popular sport
• Popular food
• Animals found
• Traditional clothes
• Places to visit

Also included:

• Bibliography page
• Two different rubrics
• Student self-evaluation

Looking for more research projects? You'll love these:

STATE RESEARCH PROJECT POSTERS

US PRESIDENTS RESEARCH PROJECT POSTERS

ANIMALS RESEARCH PROJECT POSTERS BUNDLE

Please visit my website at Southern Fried Teachin’ for more ideas, photos, and freebies!

I ❤ Followers!

Be the first to know about store discounts, free products, and product launches! Just click the green “Follow Me” star under my store name on this page or click the red “Follow Me” star on Southern Fried Teachin'

Questions & Answers

Southern fried teachin.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think