Participants at the close of the Culture of Science Conference 2026 in Nairobi on Thursday.
African governments have been urged to increase spending on research and development to at least one per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) as part of efforts to strengthen the continent’s science and health systems.
The call was made by the Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD) at the close of the Culture of Science Conference 2026 in Nairobi on Thursday.
CHReaD said the majority of African governments currently invest an average of 0.5 per cent of GDP in research and development, against the one per cent target set by the African Union’s Algiers Declaration.
The coalition also called on national governments and Ministries of Finance to ring-fence research and development budget lines and allocate 15 per cent of annual budgets to the health sector in line with the Abuja Declaration.
The communiqué noted that only three countries currently meet the Abuja Declaration commitment.
CHReaD further called for greater local production of medicines and diagnostics, urging pharmaceutical manufacturers, AUDA-NEPAD and procurement partners to raise local production to 50 per cent of Africa’s pharmaceutical needs by 2030.
It also called for 25 per cent local procurement of priority diagnostics and devices and expansion of the research workforce to 500 researchers per million people.
Participants at the close of the Culture of Science Conference 2026 in Nairobi on Thursday.
On regulation, the coalition called on African Union member states and the African Medicines Agency to complete the operational integration of harmonised regulatory standards across all Regional Economic Communities by 2030.
It also urged national governments to establish functional national regulatory authorities in all AU member states, with at least 10 reaching WHO Maturity Level 3.
The conference also called for health-focused regulatory sandbox initiatives to support the development and deployment of artificial intelligence, digital health and biotechnology innovations.
CHReaD urged traditional and media institutions, science communicators and its Secretariat to maintain science journalism engagement developed during the conference monthly from 2027.
It also called on the private sector to establish a coordinated mechanism bringing together stakeholders, including philanthropists and foundations, to align investments in health research, development and innovation.
The Culture of Science Conference 2026 was held from September 8 to 10 in Nairobi under the theme “Shaping Africa’s Future through Science”. It brought together policymakers, researchers, financiers, regulators, innovators, educators, youth, media practitioners and civil society actors from across Africa.
Participants at the close of the Culture of Science Conference 2026 in Nairobi on Thursday.
