A team of African scientists, including some from Kenya, have protested the ‘takeover’ of Malaria research programmes on the continent by American NGOs. They accuse donors of funding NGOs from Europe and US to work in Africa, yet many of them do not collaborate with local research institutions. The researchers say despite millions of dollars spent on malaria research in Africa every year, only one per cent of the funds remains on the continent. “Not one African institution was named in the press release,” the scientists say in a 1,000-word protest letter published in the Nature Communications journal. They include Dr Catherine Kyobutungi who heads the Nairobi-based African Population Health Research Centre and Emelda Okiro of Kemri Wellcome Trust Research Programme.

Source: The Star April 26, 2021 20:03 UTC