This post was originally published on here
Abuja, Jan. 16, 2026 (NAN) A Nigerian scientist, Prof. Iruka Okeke of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, has called for urgent reforms of Africa’s research supply chains.
Okeke made the call on Friday during a webinar, as part of a commentary published in Nature Health by African scientific leaders, amid growing disruptions in global health funding threatening healthcare access and research advancement in Africa.
According to her, persistent procurement and logistics bottlenecks continue to undermine health Research and Development (R&D) across the continent.
She said that procurement and logistical processes in many African countries are often poorly aligned with the realities of R&D, resulting in delays and inefficiencies that slow scientific progress.
“While procurement and logistical processes in many African countries fail to align with the realities of R&D, these same systems worked efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They demonstrated that current challenges can be addressed with collaborative and combined interventions,” she said.
The commentary was authored by 14 Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellows from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe, who outlined practical, Africa-led actions to strengthen health R&D systems.
Prof. Nicki Tiffin, the lead author of the commentary and Deputy Director of the South African National Bioinformatics Institute at the University of the Western Cape, said that although many barriers facing African health researchers are complex, a significant number are operational and solvable.
According to Tiffin, addressing these challenges requires context-specific interventions aligned with local needs and realities.
To lower systemic barriers to R&D in Africa, the Fellows called for urgent action across six priority areas.
They include: product development, financial ecosystems, human capital, health data systems, supply chain and logistics, research culture, equity and excellence.
On product development, Dr Yaw Bediako, Chief Executive Officer of Yemaachi Biotech and Dean of Research and Innovation at Ashesi University, Ghana, said Africa stands at a demographic and scientific inflexion point.
“Strategic investment in product development can transform youth potential, biodiversity and scientific ingenuity into innovation, real-world impact and prosperity for future generations,” Bediako said.
The Fellows’ call aligns with a growing movement within the scientific community advocating delivery-focused, locally grounded reforms rather than rhetoric.
Supporting the call, Prof. Tom Kariuki, Chief Executive Officer of the Science for Africa Foundation, said the proposed actions were achievable and require collective commitment.
“This is not a wish list. It is an invitation to act together, using approaches that are already within reach,” Kariuki said.
He added that Africa’s health challenges are urgent, just as the solutions required to address them are equally urgent.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship, launched in 2021 and with support from the Gates Foundation, aims to build scientific leadership and strengthen research and innovation ecosystems across Africa. (NAN)
