TIBA Ghana, the Ghana-led unit of the Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA) Partnership, hosted the Partnership's 2nd Annual General Meeting from September 16 to 18 at the Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra.
TIBA, a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and 9 African countries, is a research programme targeted at finding sustainable solutions to infectious diseases that are predominant in African countries. The programme seeks to empower African scientists to effectively and sustainably tackle neglected tropical diseases and improve preparedness for epidemics.
The three-day meeting brought together more than 100 representatives from across Africa and the United Kingdom, who held various discussions on the state of disease research in Africa and ways in which research output can be improved. Also in attendance were stakeholders from the Africa Research Network for NTDs, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, AUDA-NEPAD, Merck KGaA, the University of Edinburgh and the African Academy of Sciences. Additionally, representatives from Access Bank, the UK Department of Health and Social Care, DAAD, and the Wellcome Trust were present.
In his welcome remarks, Prof. Gordon Awandare, Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), where TIBA Ghana is hosted, spoke of the importance of the TIBA Partnership to infectious disease research and to the race toward the eradication of these diseases in Africa. He said WACCBIP was proud to be associated with TIBA as its only partner institution in West Africa.
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Prof Gordon Awandare, Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens(WACCBIP)[/caption]“We are tremendously proud to represent the TIBA Partnership in Ghana and West Africa,” Prof. Awandare said. “This is a really comprehensive infectious disease programme and we at WACCBIP are very passionate about the mark of TIBA.”
He highlighted the importance of the meeting, which, according to him, was vital to ensuring that the progress made in the partnership's three years of existence is maintained.
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TIBA Director, Professor Mark Woolhouse[/caption]TIBA Director, Professor Mark Woolhouse, welcoming the delegates, commended them for their contribution to a productive year. He emphasised the importance of TIBA and praised the efforts made by the partner institutions towards achieving the goals of the Partnership since its inception. He said that TIBA and its partners were working to improve healthcare delivery in Africa through impactful projects such the National Health Research System barometer, a tool for identifying the strengths and gaps in the health research capacity across the continent. He said TIBA is also working, in collaboration with Merck KGaA, to formulate a new drug for paediatric shistosomiasis.
“I believe that what TIBA is doing is important; I believe that what we are doing, collectively and together in partnership, is important,” Prof Woolhouse said. “It is plain to see that there is some wonderful work going on within TIBA.”
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Provost of the College of Health Sciences in the University of Ghana, Prof Ayeh-Kumi[/caption]Explaining the importance of partnerships such as TIBA to quality healthcare delivery, Provost of the College of Health Sciences in the University of Ghana, Prof Ayeh-Kumi, said that collaboration was necessary for addressing the shortfalls in healthcare delivery. He said that constraints faced in efforts to prevent and control diseases such as poor surveillance systems, poor environmental sanitation, ineffective treatment options, and inadequate infrastructure and tools, can be overcome through mutually beneficial partnerships across the continent.
Also speaking about partnerships within Africa, Prof Ernest Aryeetey, Secretary General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, said that Africa was in the position to develop globally competitive universities that will deal with the several challenges facing the region. He said that creating an environment for international collaboration and peer-learning was vital for the development of the continent.
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Prof Ernest Aryeetey, Secretary General of the African Research Universities Alliance(ARUA)[/caption]“We are focusing on collaboration and networking largely because we believe that no one university in Africa is in a position to conduct, in a successful manner, the kind of campaign that is required for transformation in the region,” he said. “It is possible for Africa to develop globally competitive universities that will deal with the several challenges facing the region.”
Professor Fred Binka, founding Vice-Chancellor for the University of Health Allied Sciences, delivered the meeting's keynote address. He explained the need for political commitment to the fight against malaria across Africa. He said that it was possible to eliminate malaria within a generation if African governments made the needed commitment in supporting efforts of researchers and healthcare workers. According to Prof. Binka, to eradicate malaria, efforts need to be directed at reducing transmission, increasing domestic funding and adopting a credible multi-sectoral approach. He added that eradicating malaria would help form the basis for eliminating other neglected diseases.
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Professor Fred Binka, founding Vice-Chancellor for the University of Health Allied Sciences[/caption]Progress reports on the work done within the year in review under the TIBA projects were presented by representatives from each of its 9 African partner institutions in Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Uganda, South Africa and Tanzania.
The meeting also featured talks from TIBA's 'Out of Africa' fellows, who made presentations on their postdoctoral research projects. TIBA postgraduate students also presented their research in a poster session, where overall winner, Mr Felix Ansah, from TIBA Ghana and WACCBIP, received a voucher to attend a scientific conference of his choice anywhere in the world. The other winners were TIBA Kenya's Ken Mwai, who won the second-place prize to attend any regional conference of his choice; and TIBA Zimbabwe's Hope Mataramvura, who came in third, winning a voucher to attend any national conference of her choice. TIBA South Africa's Dr. Thaane Tshidi, who won first place in the postdoctoral category also won a voucher to any international conference of her choice.
This year's meeting also saw the introduction of help desks, where tips on various aspects of management such as financial reporting, intellectual property, and monitoring and evaluation were given by world-leading experts.
Prof. Peter Mathieson, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, said he was impressed by how much progress TIBA has made in the three years since its inception. He also praised the quality of work presented at the meeting, applauding the commitment and positive attitude with which the delegates participated in the meeting.
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Prof Peter Matheison, Principal of the University of Edinburgh[/caption]“For me, the meetings had three characteristics [and of] those three things, collaboration”” Africa-led””and the smiles on your faces, I think, have been really striking,” Prof. Mathieson said. “I think that celebrating the work that you're doing, enjoying it and feeling that you're doing good is really really important if you're going to empower people, and I think that's come across from the meeting.”
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Abibigromma Dance Company performs at the opening ceremony[/caption][caption id="attachment_5735" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Best Poster awards to participants[/caption]
He affirmed the University of Edinburgh's commitment to the TIBA Partnership, and he encouraged the researchers at the forefront of its implementation to ensure continuity of their excellent work by drawing in Africa's brilliant young scientists.
“My advice to TIBA, if I was going to give it, is to concentrate on the young people,” he said. “This is a young continent; those are the people that hold the keys to its future.”
Please click the links to browse the AGM booklet or view the programme.
