Bibliography

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in conjunction with several African institutions and the African Diaspora, proposes the creation of the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI). ANDI’s chief objective is to promote and support health product research and development (R&D) led by African institutions for diseases of high prevalence in the continent. The expected outcome is the discovery, development and delivery of affordable new health tools including those based on traditional medicine, as well as the development of capacity and establishment of centres of research excellence. In driving its chief objective, ANDI faces three major challenges: a significant research gap; little collaboration between biomedical R&D centres across Africa; and insufficient investment in African R&D with overall yearly R&D spend of 0.3% of total African GDP, US$14 billion below the world median. It is estimated that US$1 to 2.4 billion per year alone would be needed to support health product discovery and development. This Strategic Business Plan has three key dimensions : i) foster the formation of health product R&D networks between African research centres; ii) fund networks for African-led and owned research aligned to local health needs; and iii) advocate for increased investment and priority-driven health product R&D agenda setting.