Africa Mapping

With the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, the volume of global research and development (R&D) investments for poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases (PRNIDs) has shown a marked increase. Not only have the MDGs attracted funding from new sources, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Stop TB, but also increased funding from existing donors, such as those countries belonging to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Many sub-Saharan African countries are, however, still heavily dependent on external funding for research and international development assistance for health services. In 2012, the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) commissioned a study to conduct a landscape analysis of health research and national funding commitments for PRNIDs in sub-Saharan Africa. The overall aim of this exercise was to review the current state of sub-Saharan African health research, the funding landscape and research capacity in the field of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, neglected infectious diseases (NIDs), and health systems/operational research. The study also aimed to identify how these research activities and capacities relate to the mission of EDCTP. The study comprised a combination of deskbased research and fieldwork.