Strengthening partnerships among Africa’s science granting councils and with the private sector
Programs and partnerships
Lead institution(s)
Summary
Science granting councils are central to funding and catalyzing research and innovation. A recent scoping study supported by IDRC underscored the important role of these councils in national science systems in sub-Saharan Africa.Read more
Science granting councils are central to funding and catalyzing research and innovation. A recent scoping study supported by IDRC underscored the important role of these councils in national science systems in sub-Saharan Africa. However, that study also noted that most councils are pursuing their efforts in isolation, with very few mechanisms for sharing knowledge and learning with sectoral councils or other important actors, such as universities and the private sector. By fostering effective private sector knowledge transfer, councils can ensure that research investments contribute to social and economic development.
The overall goal of this project is to strengthen the capacity of ten participating science granting councils in sub-Saharan African countries to establish partnerships with each other, and to foster knowledge transfer to the private sector. The project will support regional training courses and on-site coaching to strengthen the capacity of participating councils to design and manage collaborative agreements. It will also co-fund demand-led collaborative research projects in selected areas of interest to the private sector. Sharing of evidence, lessons learned and best practices among participating councils will be supported through the initiative’s virtual hub, mentorships and meetings. Implementation of this project is expected to contribute to the goals of the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024.
This project will be implemented over 38 months by the African Centre for Technology Studies in collaboration with the Kenya-based Scinnovent Centre, the Association of African Universities, and the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research Organization in Tanzania. It is funded through the Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa, which aims to strengthen the capacities of science granting councils to support research and evidence-based policies that contribute to economic and social development. The initiative’s activities include training, regional exchanges and forums, online training, on-site coaching, and collaborative research. It was developed jointly by IDRC, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, and South Africa’s National Research Foundation. Its ultimate goal is nationally-led research that contributes to development.
Research outputs
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The study assesses proposed solar-powered dairy production technologies for smallholder dairy production systems in Malawi; evaluates the quantity and quality of milk produced; assesses socio-economic and gender impacts of the technologies, and promotes the uptake of the technologies. The introduction of a solar-powered water pump greatly reduced the amount of time spent fetching water for the dairy farm; solar milking machines (SMM) had the lowest milking time per cow. There were no significant differences between average milk yields per cow from machine milking and hand milking. The use of solar-powered groundwater pumps ensures a steady and easily accessible water supply.
The research aimed to add value to maize germ and bran, to develop improved products for human consumption, and to contribute to food security and human nutrition. Of low economic value, maize germ and bran currently dominate the livestock feed sector. However, with careful handling these processing by-products could be made to impact the confectionery and bakery sector. By incorporating them into bakery and confectionery products, nutritional value would be enhanced. The Ministry of Health and Uganda National Bureau of Standards can develop, implement and enforce standards for a positive impact on Food and Nutrition Policy.
The need to promote local pharmaceutical industries in the region is motivated by factors such as a high disease burden, the high cost of imported medicines, growing regional markets, and expected increase in access to anti-retroviral drugs and pressure from non-governmental agencies. The brief outlines conditions in the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire in terms of the above factors. Funding for local research and development needs to increase along with upgrades to science and technology policy. The brief explains what can be done in terms of training and partnerships with industry as well as intra-regional cooperation.
This Policy Brief provides new data on how Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) contribute to the delivery of health and industrial policies and programmes for health and wellbeing. It unpacks context-specific social, economic, political, geographic, and epidemiological factors that need to be examined with an eye to sub-regional, regional and global political economies. It emphasizes the importance of embedment of local pharmaceutical suppliers/ manufacturers among poor populations in low-middle income countries. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region has for the past three decades faced a challenging and persistent HIV/AIDS pandemic, and this permeates and influences factors of development in the region.
This policy brief provides a road map towards a better functioning, more stable, and sustainable pharmaceutical industry in Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries. Based on country studies and detailed analysis of data, a risk categorization model has been derived which includes product quality and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliance of local pharmaceutical producers (LPP). A means of structured incentives can be used for different levels of categorisation to drive compliance. Since 2002, an annual amount of more than US$4 billion has been invested in the purchase of fixed dose combinations in anti-retroviral (ARV) and anti-malarial drugs.
About the partnership
