Fifth EDCTP Forum – Blog

Opening ceremony: research and innovation key to development

Posted by Ilona van den Brink on 15 October 2009 at 08:58

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

The Fifth EDCTP Forum in Arusha kicked off on Monday with strong calls for strengthening clinical trials partnerships with Africa. It emphasised the need for increased funding for research and innovation in health, setting up acceptable clinical trial standards, strengthening ethical committees and the establishment of infrastructures for provision of quality drugs and other medical tools to tackle HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Led by His Excellency the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Ali Mohamed Shein, scientists, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders underscored the need for strengthening of joint ventures to combat the three diseases, which they said, are poverty-related and consequently improve the lives of people.

“I believe that the convening of this forum at this time is an assurance of continued commitment, notwithstanding the effect of global financial crisis, to sustain this partnership which we have put in place to carry on activities which contribute substantially to the strengthening of our national efforts in the fight against these deadly diseases,” said Shein in his official opening speech.

The Vice President said that effective clinical interventions through drugs, vaccines and diagnostics are fundamental in tackling the diseases that disproportionately affect the people in Africa.

He said there is a strong recognition among African countries that research and innovation are key to development and economic growth although there are other factors and the health of a people is a central component.

Because of poverty and diseases that seriously affect the needs and lives of people, he said, health systems in these countries need to use research and outcomes to optimise effect on equity, health and development. “Progress in poverty reduction can be achieved only when due priority is given to health enhancing activities,” he told the more 400 delegates attending the conference.

Africa, he said, is currently witnessing new realities with many countries registering some impressive achievements in combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Another reality is the realisation of Millennium Development Goals by 2015 which is proving elusive for Africa. “I would urge our scientists to receive any achievement being made as a challenge to double their efforts in order to win the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,” he urged.

The theme of the meeting, he explained, was relevant to Africa as it needed concerted efforts to combat these deadly diseases. Research, Vice President Shein observed, is a costly affair and sustained research and development are, therefore, expensive activities requiring long-term investment to achieve expected outcomes and collaborations and partnerships are the answer.

Limited commitment, in his opinion, is one of the challenges restricting research activities on the continent but at the same time it was encouraging there is an upsurge in political goodwill towards promotion of research activities. But these need to be translated into practical measures through allocation of research funds.

Tanzania has taken the right direction on this by instituting necessary measures to increase investment in research and development by raising allocation to research from 0.3 percent to 1 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

EDCTP Executive Director, Professor Charles Mgone, gave  a quick background of the partnership founded in 2003 and said they were working together with like-minded organisations to develop new drugs, vaccines, microbicides and other interventions against poverty-related diseases. “EDCTP prides itself in being a truly genuine partnership in that decisions-making and implementation at all levels involves all stakeholders and gives recognition to the African scientific community and policy makers in identifying needs for capacity development, research priorities, leadership and ownership of programmes,” he said.

EDCTP founding, he explained, was a response to global burden of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and comprises 14 European Member States, including Norway and Switzerland and all sub-Saharan Africa countries working with like minded-organisations. The forum is held every two years for participants working in the area of the three deadly diseases.