Africa continues to grapple with inadequate research leadership, particularly in health-related fields.
Most research in these areas is driven by external investigators and institutions, creating a significant imbalance. This is exacerbated by the fact that Africa only contributes 2% of the world’s research output and has a severe shortage of health researchers, with only 20 per million people compared to Europe’s 244, according to a World Health Organization report. These factors hinder local ownership of research outcomes and diminish their impact. Furthermore, Africa receives a disproportionately low share of global health research funding, often leading to research agendas that do not effectively address the continent’s urgent health needs and priorities, despite collaborations with local experts.
The Catalyze Impact Initiative responds to the critical need for increased African leadership in the continent’s research and development (R&D).
Spearheaded by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and supported by the Gates Foundation, the Initiative aims to empower and enhance collaboration among African researchers, institutions, policymakers, and the broader research ecosystem to shape impactful research agendas and policies. It also seeks to address several key challenges that have long hindered Africa’s research landscape by fostering African-led research that translates into actionable policies and evidence-informed decision-making.
Africa accounts for 19% of the world’s population yet produces less than 1% of the global research output. Compared to the rest of the world, the continent suffers huge disparities in human resource capacity for health researchers, with high-income countries having up to 56 times more researchers.
Moreover, Africa receives a disproportionately low share of global health research funding; less than 10% of allocated funds to the continent are awarded to institutions in Africa, often leading to research agendas that do not effectively address the continent’s urgent health needs and priorities despite collaborations with local experts.
The Catalyze Impact Initiative responds to the critical need for increased African leadership in the continent’s research and development (R&D). Spearheaded by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and supported by the Gates Foundation, the Initiative was designed as a strategic program to address systemic barriers hindering the effective generation and utilization of African research for global health and development impact.
It aims to empower and enhance collaboration among African researchers, institutions, policymakers, and the broader research ecosystem; enhance the visibility and discoverability of African research, researchers, and institutions; strengthen institutional capacity; and accelerate the translation of research into policy. It also seeks to address several key challenges that have long hindered Africa’s research landscape by fostering African-led research that translates into actionable policies and evidence-informed decision-making.
The Initiative strategically focuses on the areas below to enhance research capacity and impact.
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