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Improving access to quality health products and care in Africa stops by training and capacity building on the continent

Cairo, Egypt, Nov 20, 2014 -- The African Network for Drugs and Diagnsotics Initiative (ANDI), an African-led initiative, and the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), an institution part of the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, are starting a collaboration on training and capacity building in Africa The ASRT has selected ANDI as a mechanism of choice to support the implementation of health innovation in Africa through health product research and development (R&D), local production, technology transfer and the associated capacity building. Both parties have agreed to formalize a collaboration in the area of training and capacity building through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was signed this morning at the Academy of Science in Cairo.

Both organization will collaborate in the implementation and support for relevant training, capacity building and technology transfer initiatives in Africa. Maintainance of R&D and medical equipment for technicians and biomedical engineers in Africa; training in specific R&D and manufacturing area such as drug screening and discovery; and Good Manufacturing Pratices (GMP) along with regulatory training will be th three main area of focus for the activities implemented under this collaboration. ANDI and ASRT will develop training material and insure their dissemination. Information and lessons on health innovation gathered in the course of this collaboration will be shared among partners and all African countries involved.

The health status of the African population remains behind that of populations in Europe and North America, as well as many other developing regions with similar affluence. Effective health tools (drugs, vaccines and diagnostics) and adequat training are fundamental to tackling the diseases that disproportionately affect the African continent. ANDI has identified the limited capability of R&D labs and hospitals in Africa to service and maintain simple equipment as a major gap in medical technology on the continent. Beyond this groundbreaking collaboration, ANDI has developed a broader strategy to address this gap and is seeking to identify institutions around the world as well as donors willing to support this area of work in Africa. Launched in Abuja in 2008, ANDI is a response to several global and regional calls and declarations to support health and health research capacity in Africa and other developing regions of the world. These calls also highlight the relevance of health R&D to economic development: a notable example is the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on public health, innovation and intellectual property (GSPOA), approved through the World Health Assembly resolutions (WHA 61.21 in 2009 and 62.16 in 2009). An important element of the GSPOA is the promotion of R&D networks in disease endemic countries operating under regional governance structures and management to contribute to sustainable access to health interventions in developing counties.

Media contact: Chloé Coves, Communications and External Relations Manager covesc@andi-africa.org | +251 941 134053 www.andi-africa.org African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation Dem. Rep. Congo Street P.O. Box 60130, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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The African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) was launched in Abuja in 2008. ANDI mission is to promote and sustain African-led health innovation to address African public health needs through efficient use of local knowledge, assembly of research networks, and building of capacity to support economic development. ANDI focuses on addressing Africa’s unmet disease needs by harnessing the untapped power of collaboration among African researchers with the vision of creating a sustainable platform for R&D innovation in Africa to address Africa’s own health needs. ANDI is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Addis Ababa, based on an agreement between UNOPS and the World Health Organization (WHO).

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