Culture of Science Conference Calls for Increased Research Funding and Local Manufacturing in Africa

Stakeholders during the Culture of Science Conference 2026 where participants called for increased investment in research, stronger regulatory systems and expanded local manufacturing of medicines and health technologies across Africa.

By: Gladys Karuga

African governments have been urged to increase investment in research and development, strengthen regulatory systems and expand local manufacturing of medicines and health technologies to improve healthcare and strengthen the continent’s scientific capacity.

The call was made at the close of the Culture of Science Conference 2026, held from September 8 to 10 at the Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi, bringing together policymakers, researchers, financiers, regulators, innovators, educators, youth, media practitioners and civil society actors from across Africa.

The conference was convened by the Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD) in partnership with Speak Up Africa, Amref Health Africa, Africa Health Research, Innovation and Development Alliance (AHRIDA) and Faith to Action Network under the theme “Shaping Africa’s Future through Science.”

Participants noted that the majority of African governments invest an average of 0.5 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in research and development, against the one per cent target set by the African Union’s Algiers Declaration.

The conference also noted that only three African countries currently meet the Abuja Declaration commitment of allocating 15 per cent of their national budgets to health.

CHReaD said the funding gap continues to constrain Africa’s ability to research, innovate, manufacture, regulate and build public trust in health solutions.

“Science in Africa is not a distant technical enterprise but a public good, a cultural practice, and a determinant of sovereignty.”

In its Call to Action, CHReaD urged national governments and Ministries of Finance to establish ring-fenced research and development budget lines and raise domestic R&D spending to one per cent of GDP.

Governments were also called upon to direct 15 per cent of their annual budgets to the health sector in line with the Abuja Declaration, while African countries were urged to establish stronger coordination mechanisms for research, development and innovation.

The coalition further called on Members of Parliament to establish science and research caucuses at national and regional levels to advance the Culture of Science agenda.

On regulation, CHReaD urged African Union member states and the African Medicines Agency to complete the operational integration of harmonised regulatory standards across all Regional Economic Communities by 2030.

It also called for functional National Regulatory Authorities in all AU member states, with at least 10 countries reaching World Health Organization Maturity Level 3.

The conference placed particular emphasis on local production and access to health products and technologies.

CHReaD called on pharmaceutical manufacturers, AUDA-NEPAD and procurement partners to raise local production to 50 per cent of Africa’s pharmaceutical needs and achieve 25 per cent local procurement of priority diagnostics and medical devices by 2030.

Ministries of Education and institutions of higher learning were also urged to expand Africa’s research workforce towards a target of 500 researchers per million people.

The coalition further called for the urgent establishment of health-focused regulatory sandbox initiatives to support agile, data-driven regulation and accelerate the safe deployment of artificial intelligence, digital health and biotechnology innovations across the continent.

Public trust and science communication also featured prominently during the conference, with CHReaD calling on traditional and media institutions, science communicators and its Secretariat to sustain the science journalism engagement established during the conference through monthly engagements from 2027.

The coalition said sustained engagement would help ensure that science journalism does not become limited to event-driven coverage but continues to improve public understanding of research, innovation and health.

CHReaD also called on the private sector to establish a coordinated mechanism bringing together stakeholders, including philanthropists and foundations, to align investments in health research, development and innovation.

The coalition reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for accountable financing, an enabling regulatory environment, improved access to health products and technologies, evidence-based science and the sharing of indigenous knowledge in health research, development and innovation.

The conference concluded with a call for science to be placed at the centre of Africa’s development and sovereignty, with stakeholders emphasising the need for stronger investment, coordination, innovation and public engagement to shape the continent’s future.