Africa CDC opens a pilot clinical research certificate

Africa CDC has opened a pilot certificate course for clinical research, aimed at doctors, pharmacists and other health professionals who are already well into their careers. The continental health agency announced the scheme on Friday, October 9, and its Science and Innovation Division is in charge of running it.

The stated ambition is to widen the circle of African scientists able to run clinical studies. In the agency’s words, the course aims to “expand Africa’s pool of researchers” who can lead trials and contribute to vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools, including work needed when outbreaks strike. Peoples Gazette adds that the agency also expects the scheme to deepen research expertise and support medical innovation across the continent.

Two weeks in Addis Ababa, then placements in four countries

The course is built in two parts. Participants start with two weeks of academic teaching in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Two institutions contribute to this classroom phase: AHRI, the Armauer Hansen Research Institute, and CDT-Africa, a centre devoted to new drug development and therapeutic trials.

Once the lectures are over, trainees go into the field. According to Capital FM Africa, they join clinical research organisations in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo for placements lasting eight weeks. Selected partner organisations are the ones that provide the hands-on experience, so the quality of the practical half depends on the host teams that take participants in.

What the syllabus covers

The curriculum follows a study from the first preparations to the paperwork that surrounds it. Trainees work on how a clinical trial is carried out in practice and on the ethics of research, then on how study data are managed. Pharmacovigilance, the monitoring of how safe medicines are once people take them, is also on the list, as are laboratory and translational research.

That last pairing matters because, as Capital FM Africa puts it, clinical and translational research are central to testing medical interventions and to converting scientific discoveries into treatments. The remaining two subjects are less technical but just as practical: scientific writing, and the development of grant applications, which is how many studies find their funding.

Peoples Gazette reports that the agency designed the training to give participants practical knowledge and experience in planning, carrying out and managing clinical research. Together, the seven subjects are meant to produce professionals who can oversee a trial and not only take part in one.

Why the agency wants local trial leaders

The announcement arrives against a recognised need. Capital FM Africa notes that the continent needs more health researchers, and more capacity at home to generate evidence on medical interventions that fit its own public health priorities. Training people who already hold clinical or pharmacy qualifications is one way to move in that direction without starting from scratch.

The agency presents the pilot as one piece of a wider effort to assemble a more capable pool of African researchers, who could add to medical innovation and help the continent prepare for future health emergencies. Peoples Gazette adds that the agency counts on the programme to improve Africa’s capacity to come up with health solutions and to answer outbreaks effectively.

On paper, the route is therefore clear: teaching in Ethiopia first, then placements in Nigeria, Zambia, the DRC and Ethiopia itself, all managed by the agency’s Science and Innovation Division.

Featured image. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Credit: Esculab. License: CC0.