Pate: With Investment in Research, Africa Can Become Global Health Solution Hub

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof Ali Pate has expressed optimism that Nigeria and the rest of Africa would emerge as key destination for innovative solutions in the health sector if adequate investment and effort are channeled into science and research.

Speaking at the opening of a 5-Day SPARK Translational Research Boot Camp conference in Abuja yesterday, Pate said Africa needs to do something to improve its contribution to global science research and innovation.

He said there was a need for a decisive shift from basic scientific discovery to real-world health solutions, which can turn the continent into a health solutions hub.

He said despite her large population with its attendant problems, the continent has continued to lag behind in research efforts aimed at finding solutions to the challenges.

The minister said poor investment in research would have negative impact on the gains currently being made in promoting healthcare in the country.

“The context is also presently a paradox, the paradox of us being 1.4 billion, yet accounting for a very significant portion of the global trade, global economy, 1.4 billion, with lots of problems, and yet very Little of the scientific inquiry. Doctor Abdul Muktara mentioned less than, I believe, one percent, two percent, I think that’s optimistic.

“I would say very little spending on research to find the solutions to the problems, and even where those solutions are being invested upon, they are funded by others, not domestically, within the continent, not within the industry,” he said.

While reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, Pate noted that pandemics historically altered the course of human civilisation and argued that the world was still grappling with the aftershocks of COVID-19 in politics, economies, and global supply chains.

He said, “Nigeria and Africa are navigating multiple transitions at once, including demographic, epidemiological, economic, technological, and political shifts.

“While infectious diseases remain a challenge, Pate said non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers, and cardiovascular illnesses now account for a growing share of illness and death.

“We may not be very conscious of it, but there are changes that are happening in the world since the disruption of COVID,” he said, adding that many economic imbalances could be traced to pandemic-era spending.

Pate warned that technology, if poorly governed, could undermine public trust in science, citing the rise of misinformation, anti-science, and anti-vaccine movements.

He urged scientists to pay closer attention to how research findings are communicated.

According Pate, “the benefit of the scientific enterprise may be left on the table if we don’t communicate well enough.”

In a significant stride towards healthcare innovation and self-reliance across Africa and in many parts of the developing world, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) is collaborating with SPARK GLOBAL to train and educate African scientists to directly address the health needs of the continent.

Director General of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Dr. Obi Adigwe, said poor funding of research undermines efforts at research and innovation.

He said translational research was critical in closing the gap that exists between basic scientific discoveries in the laboratory and their practical applications in the clinical setting.

He also said advancing research findings into effective treatment and Interventions would improve the well-being of humans.

Speaking on what he described as “character assassination and threats to scientists,” Adigwe said such treatment creates a chilling effect, discouraging young minds from entering the field.

“If we do not act decisively, the torch of science may be extinguished, and humanity will stumble into darkness. Yet there is hope. Science has always triumphed over adversity.

“Underfunding science is not an act of prudence but of recklessness. Investing in science is the most patriotic act a government can undertake, for it secures the future of its people,” he said.

Leveraging the respective institutional experience and cognate expertise, Adigwe said the Nigerian government, through NIPRD, was partnering with SPARK GLOBAL to host the annual SPARK translational Research Boot camp and conference in Abuja this month, including the launch of SPARK Nigeria Programme.

He said the Boot camp conference would bring together scientists from across African Universities and research institutes for training and collaboration using the SPARK translational research model, offering opportunities for education, interaction, and collaboration to enable and empower local researchers to develop local capacity using translational research principles.

Co-director, SPARK at Stanford university and Vice President of SPARK GLOBAL, Prof. Kevin Grimes, said investing in research and innovation in the health sector would help Africa achieve the much-needed health security.

On his part, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking Healthcare Value Chain, Dr. Abdul Mukhtar, said the federal government was currently providing centres where clinical trials could be conducted so as to support research in the health sector.