Inaugural Culture of Science Conference Opens in Nairobi with Call for Stronger Investment in Africa’s Research Agenda

Matungulu MP Stephen Mutinda Mule (left) and Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD) Founder and Executive Director WEMA WEALTH AFRICA Mary Muia-Mukhwana (right) during the inaugural Culture of Science Conference 2026 at Ole Sereni Hotel, Nairobi.

By: Gladys Karuga.

The inaugural Culture of Science Conference 2026 has opened in Nairobi, bringing together policymakers, researchers, innovators, civil society organisations, academia, private-sector players, the media and communities to explore how science can be positioned as a key driver of Africa’s health, economic and social development.

The three-day conference, taking place from September 8 to 10 at the Ole Sereni Hotel, is convened by the Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD), a pan-African coalition comprising more than 40 organisations working to advance investment in health research, innovation and access to health technologies.

The conference seeks to reposition science beyond laboratories and academic institutions and examine how scientific knowledge can influence policy, financing, manufacturing, healthcare and everyday life across the continent.

Its discussions are centred on four key areas: sustainable financing for scientific research and development, policy and regulatory frameworks, research and innovation, and building public trust in science.

Opening the conference, Matungulu Member of Parliament Stephen Mutinda Mule called for stronger political commitment towards science financing and urged researchers and innovators to actively engage with policymakers and the budgeting process.

Mule warned that scientific research risks remaining confined to laboratories if researchers do not participate in the legislative, policy and budget-making processes that determine how scientific discoveries are supported and implemented.

“If you are a scientist and you don't find yourself in this gap, when legislation, policy and the budgeting process is being done, science will still be just science. It will wait.”

He said stronger political intervention is required to ensure scientific discoveries are translated into programmes, policies and solutions that benefit ordinary citizens.

Mule’s remarks came as stakeholders at the conference pushed for increased domestic financing for research and development, stronger local manufacturing capacity and policies that can help African innovations move from research institutions into the market.

The conference is also addressing Africa’s heavy reliance on external financing for health research and development. CHReaD says Africa accounts for approximately 24 per cent of the global disease burden but receives less than one per cent of global health research and development investment, highlighting what organisers see as a major financing gap.

Speaking during the conference, Mary Muia-Mukhwana Coalition for Health Research & Development Founder and Executive Director WEMA WEALTH AFRICA, said the coalition identified the gap in health research and development advocacy when it was formed in 2015.

She said although considerable progress has been made in advocacy across different areas of healthcare, research and development has not received the same level of attention.

Mukhwana said the Culture of Science Conference is intended to create a platform where governments, research institutions, the private sector, academia, journalists and communities can collectively examine how science can become part of Africa’s culture and development agenda.

“We want to bring together the culture of science so that we don't forget our native knowledge and skills that contribute to the evidence body of science, especially in health.”

She said Africa’s traditional and indigenous knowledge should be recognised as part of the continent’s contribution to the body of scientific evidence, particularly in healthcare.

The conference programme includes a dedicated discussion on advancing indigenous knowledge within scientific systems, alongside sessions on One Health, clinical research, local manufacturing, artificial intelligence, genomics, personalised healthcare and science communication.

Mukhwana said the three-day meeting would also examine domestic financing for health research and development, manufacturing and regulatory frameworks and policies across Kenya and Africa.

She noted that diseases do not respect national borders and argued that research findings, innovations and health products developed in one part of Africa can benefit populations across the continent if countries strengthen collaboration and regional markets.

She called for increased domestic production of medicines and health technologies while ensuring that products meet quality standards and that communities have confidence in locally produced solutions.

Financing remains a central issue at the conference, with Mukhwana noting that Kenya has already allocated resources towards research and development but that only a fraction reaches health research.

She said the conversation should therefore not only focus on demanding more money but also on ensuring that existing allocations are properly utilised and that results can be tracked.

“There is allocation; it can be better, but we as a civil society and the Culture of Science would want to have a conversation of how well and how accountable, and how can we track results of the already allocated budget even as we ask for increasing budget,” she said.

CHReaD has established four committees focusing on domestic financing, communication, manufacturing and regulatory frameworks, and research and innovation.

According to Mukhwana, the domestic financing committee has already undertaken consultations and capacity-building for coalition members to help them understand Kenya’s budget cycle and identify key opportunities for influencing decisions affecting health research and development.

Members have also been trained on analysing sectoral budget allocations and engaging in the preparation of important policy documents, including the Budget Policy Statement.

The conference is equally focusing on the growing challenge of misinformation and the role of scientific evidence in helping communities distinguish credible information from false or misleading claims.

Mukhwana said the availability of large amounts of unverified information can create confusion and lead communities to make decisions based on inaccurate health information.

She said addressing misinformation requires investment in quality research as well as effective communication and translation of research findings into practical action.

She argued that scientific publications alone are not enough if their findings do not reach communities and improve their lives.

“We can have very good research results and papers but if it doesn't translate into action then we will have not done justice into misinformation,” she said.

The conference programme includes a media roundtable on combating health and science misinformation in the digital age, as well as discussions on building public trust and legitimacy around science.

The event is also expected to contribute to CHReaD’s Culture of Science Action Agenda, a collective framework outlining Africa’s priorities for health research and development over the next three years.

The agenda seeks commitments on how Africa invests in, governs and uses science, with governments, research institutions, funders and civil society expected to contribute to its development.

The conference comes at a time when African countries are seeking to strengthen local research capacity, reduce dependence on imported health technologies and medicines, and ensure that scientific innovations respond directly to the continent’s needs.

Through the three-day discussions, organisers hope to strengthen collaboration between scientists, policymakers, communities, industry and other stakeholders while creating practical pathways for research findings to move from laboratories into policies, products and services.

The Culture of Science Conference is ultimately seeking to establish a stronger culture in which science is not only produced in Africa but also financed, trusted, communicated, commercialised and used to address the continent’s most pressing challenges.