On 10 September, the highly anticipated Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) was launched in Nairobi, Kenya.
This initiative of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is supported inter alia by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Wellcome Trust (WT) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
AESA is a jointly-funded pan-African platform established to support the development of long-term sustainable funding, research leadership, and scientific excellence and innovation in Africa. AESA was endorsed by the African Union to champion the development of research for health capacities in Africa and represents an exciting new model for long term development of research leadership and excellence in Africa. AESA will fund and manage science programmes, work in partnership to develop health research strategies, and monitor investments in science on behalf of African and global partners.
Two major programmes, DELTAS and the Grand Challenges Programme, are included.
The launch and academic programme was attended by African and global science leaders, policy and decision makers, industry and non-governmental organizations, and representatives from the NRF, MRC, and ICSU ROA.
On 11-12 September, the launch is followed by the initiation of the large-scale NRF-IDRC-DFID programme to strengthen Science Granting Councils in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Story by NRF media room, 10 September 2015