The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a significant gap in Africa's ability to respond to health crises, with public health officials relying heavily on clinical trials and vaccine guidance from Western laboratories. This often resulted in a mismatch between the continent's unique demographic and health profile and the provided data. Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean of the Makerere University School of Public Health, noted that during the pandemic, "all of the evidence was coming from elsewhere and that this evidence did not apply to Africa exactly the way we would have wanted to."
In response to this challenge, Makerere University has launched a five-year initiative, Advancing Clinical Trials and Epidemic Preparedness Research Capacity in Africa (ACT-PREP), to build a permanent, continent-wide defence against pandemics. The project brings together universities, research institutes, and ministries of health across eight countries in Africa and Europe. The initiative aims to upgrade regional laboratories and train over 10,000 African scientists, health workers, and researchers.
The ACT-PREP project was launched on September 28, and it plans to train 15 PhD candidates and 10 postdoctoral fellows over the next five years. The project's goal is to ensure that Africa has the necessary capacity to respond to future outbreaks, rather than scrambling to build laboratories and hire experts after a virus emerges. Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe emphasized that "when the next outbreak comes, we should not have to start looking for the expertise, the systems, the laboratories, or the people we need to respond."
The project integrates a "One Health" approach, analyzing how viruses jump from animals and environmental shifts into human populations. This approach recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. The initiative also acknowledges the importance of community trust in the success of scientific research. Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, representing the Ministry of Health, highlighted the need for emergency mechanisms to release research funding during outbreaks and the importance of community engagement.
Dr. Kyabayinze pointed out that systemic vulnerabilities, such as limited funding and misinformation, often derail African health responses. He emphasized the need for national health budgets to create emergency mechanisms that instantly release research funding when an outbreak begins. Additionally, he stressed the importance of community trust, citing how social media rumors undermined COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The ACT-PREP project challenges African governments to fund their own research rather than relying permanently on foreign donors. For ordinary Ugandans who have lived through lockdowns, border closures, and delayed vaccine rollouts, the success of Makerere's new alliance will be measured by whether local doctors can test and deploy life-saving treatments quickly during the next virus outbreak.
The initiative's success will depend on the ability of African governments to prioritize funding for research and development. The project's focus on building a permanent, continent-wide defence against pandemics is critical for Eastern and Central Africa, where Ebola, Marburg, and mpox regularly cross borders. The project's impact will be closely watched, as it aims to address the significant gaps in Africa's ability to respond to health crises.
Key points
- The ACT-PREP project aims to train over 10,000 African scientists, health workers, and researchers over the next five years.
- The initiative integrates a "One Health" approach, analyzing how viruses jump from animals and environmental shifts into human populations.
- The project challenges African governments to fund their own research rather than relying permanently on foreign donors.
