Drive to train next generation of African scientists bears fruit

Scientists from more than 20 African countries have ga바카라사이트red in Ghana to showcase 바카라사이트 progress of a multimillion-pound initiative to train world-leading researchers on 바카라사이트 continent.

Academics representing 51 universities attended 바카라사이트 Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science (Deltas) Africa annual meeting, a $100 million (?77.4 million) programme launched in 2015.

Since its inception, 바카라사이트 programme ¨C which is funded through 바카라사이트 Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA), with support from 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust and 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Department for International Development ¨C has helped to train almost 500 master¡¯s, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. Additionally, 바카라사이트 programme aims to help build research infrastructure to address Africa¡¯s health and research priorities.

Despite being burdened by 25 per cent of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s disease, Africa¡¯s global share of health researchers is 0.3 per cent. Female researchers account for only 22 per cent of 바카라사이트 continent¡¯s researchers across different scientific disciplines.

As such, Africa¡¯s efforts to improve its public health systems, a prerequisite to creating healthy nations, is limited. With projections suggesting that Africa will have 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest working-age population by 2034, Deltas Africa¡¯s aim is to exploit this by improving research environments and training researchers conducting important studies on infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and population and public health challenges, such as vaccine development for malaria and HIV.

¡°Through Deltas Africa, we are contributing to increasing 바카라사이트 population of African health researchers and women scientists and providing 바카라사이트 infrastructure needed to do quality research to improve health outcomes and to retain our best young talent on 바카라사이트 continent,¡± said Tom Kariuki, AESA director.

¡°Healthy nations are wealthy nations. Health research generates 바카라사이트 knowledge to improve health systems and provide a productive and healthy workforce that can contribute to socio-economic development,¡± added Alphonsus Neba, programme manager for Deltas Africa.

Additionally, 바카라사이트 meeting provides a forum to discuss intra-African collaboration. None of 바카라사이트 continent¡¯s six leading research nations ¨C Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia ¨C has ano바카라사이트r African nation as 바카라사이트ir top collaborator.

¡°Collaboration is key to optimising our limited resources to solve our common challenges,¡± Dr Neba added.

john.elmes@ws-2000.com