By Prosper Okoye
The growing burden of non-communicable diseases and shortage of well-trained investigators have made it increasingly urgent to mentor and train the next generation of clinical researchers in West Africa, Professor Obiageli Nnodu, Director of Research and Grants at the West African College of Physicians, has warned.
Speaking Monday at a two-day Research Capacity Building and Clinical Research Training programme in Abuja, Nnodu drew on findings from a genomics study to highlight the limitations of relying solely on research conducted outside Africa, noting that such studies do not always reflect the realities and needs of populations on the continent.
She called for stronger home-grown research capacity and evidence-based solutions tailored to Africa’s health challenges.
Nnodu also stressed the need for institutions to establish robust research frameworks that can position investigators to access grants and other support for their work.
“We cannot solve clinical problems just by doing clinical work,” she noted.
For young researchers, she advocated openness to learning, active participation in research networks, fellowship opportunities and a willingness to take on assignments while maintaining humility. She also urged them to pursue clearly defined studies that address existing health challenges.
Nnodu, who is also Principal Investigator and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training, said the approach had been applied at the centre, with many researchers benefiting from its research capacity-building programmes.
Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, identified inadequate research infrastructure and practical training as major obstacles to translating Africa’s clinical expertise into internationally competitive research.
Africa, he argued, has no shortage of capable clinicians but lacks the infrastructure and specialised training needed to turn clinical ideas into research capable of attracting international funding and meeting global scientific standards.
“This is precisely the gap I believe this programme is built to close,” Fawehinmi said.
He explained that the training would take participants through the research process, from developing research ideas and writing competitive grant proposals to scientific dissemination and the conduct of clinical trials.
The programme also covers clinical trial site activation, monitoring, regulatory compliance and close-out procedures, providing practical, competency-based training for Africa’s cancer research community.
Fawehinmi linked the initiative to Yakubu Gowon University’s ambition to become a world-class institution, saying that such an aspiration must be matched by researchers and early-career investigators capable of competing for international research funding, publishing in leading scientific journals and conducting clinical trials to global standards.
The programme brings together institutions and organisations including Mayo Clinic, the iCCaRE Consortium, the West African College of Physicians, the Nigerian Cancer Society, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Sickle Cell Research and Training for Africa.
Fawehinmi described the collaboration as a convergence of international and Nigerian expertise that could help strengthen research capacity through global partnerships.
Also speaking, Professor Folakemi T. Odedina, Enterprise Deputy Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, challenged researchers and institutions to embrace collaborative approaches to solving Africa’s health challenges.
Odedina advocated what she described as “Consortium Science” — an approach built around researchers and institutions working towards a shared goal rather than operating in isolation.
She argued that collaborative research can improve communication, expand opportunities for researchers to attain global recognition and accelerate the development of solutions capable of producing a healthier continent.
The programme therefore seeks to move beyond conventional research training by equipping African investigators not only to generate evidence, but also to build networks, attract international funding and translate research into solutions for communities.
