A Research Professor at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Richard Adegbola, has unravelled the mystery behind limited funding for most research conducted in West Africa, saying it is no other reason than the uncompetitive nature of most studies from the subregion.
He asserted that most investigations carried out in West Africa lack focus, due to the inability of researchers to write focused and winning research proposals to government and donor organisations.
Prof. Adegbola, who was the chairman at the opening ceremony of the African Network for Tuberculosis, AIDS, and Malaria (WANETAM), a 3-day ongoing conference, at RadissonBlu Hotel Lagos, urged scientists in the subregion to be intentionally focused in their research endeavours, in order to generate relevant data for development.
“One of the things we complain about is lack of money for research in West Africa, but there is money for research. The problem is researchers in the subregion are not competitive enough, because they lack capacity to write focused research.
“To address this weakness, West African scientists need to learn how to do focused research, by first of all announcing the investigation, then do the first draft, thereafter make the second draft, which is an improved version of the first draft, that must be comparable to what is obtainable in any where in the world”, he stated.
The WANETAM Chairman, explained the mission of the West African Network, which he described as building the capacity of scientists in the subregion, for effective investigation to bring about development.
He said WANETAM trains local researchers how to conduct studies that can generate data, that is credible and relevant to what is happening in the West African subregion.
The research professor condemned the practice in all West African countries, during the COVID era, where no research was conducted on any vaccine before they were administered on people, due to lack of capacity for trials.
“In developed countries, nobody uses a vaccine without trying the vaccine for safety and efficacy level on human beings.
“But in West Africa, we just do copy and paste, because it is used elsewhere, so we use it here, why? Because we lack capacity, and we need to develop it”, he affirmed.
Fielding questions from pressmen during the conference, the WANETAM Coordinator, Prof. Souleymane Mboup, said the need to recognise challenges and to proffer sustainable solutions for the subregion, led to the establishment of WANETAM in July 2009.
He noted that WANETAM is one of the Networks of Excellence supported by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP).
According to Mboup, the network has grown since inception to a membership of 25 institutions from 12 West African countries and five institutions from four European countries.
Welcoming participants from Anglophone and Francophone countries to Nigeria for the conference, NIMR Director General, Prof. Babatunde Salako, urged them to use the avenue to network for more research endeavours for the development of the West African coast.
As the host of the event, Prof, Salako, who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Pheabian Akinwale, buttressed the points of his co-host, Mboup, on the purpose of the conference, which he said is to build regional, national, institutional, and individual capacities to conduct research including clinical trials.
“WANETAM conducts its strategic goals under the following work packages (WP); WP1- Tuberculosis; WP2- Malaria; WP3- HIV; WP4- NTD/EBOLA; WP5- Cross cutting trainings and Project management”, he explained.
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