Xcene Research, a leading Contract Research Organisation and organiser of the Impact Africa Summit, has stressed the importance of boosting clinical trial capacity through local and global partnerships to advance Africa’s health autonomy.
In a statement on Wednesday by the organisation’s Director of Communication, Mr. Dotun Ogunyemi, Xcene Research highlighted that Africa carries approximately 25 percent of the global disease burden but hosts only around 1.1 percent of the world’s clinical trials.
The organisation described this disparity as a critical vulnerability that limits access to essential medicines, reduces Africa’s control over local and global health crises, and leaves the continent reliant on solutions developed elsewhere, often not suited to its diverse populations.
“The story of African health autonomy is often framed around local pharmaceutical manufacturing. While essential, manufacturing is only the final chapter of a process whose first and most crucial chapters—research, development, and rigorous clinical trials—are still conducted primarily overseas and then imported for local use. We cannot achieve true health sovereignty by being mere consumers or marketers of medical products; we must become developers of our own solutions,” the statement said.
Xcene Research, which provides services and support to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies, said its upcoming Impact Africa Summit 2025 (IASPharma 2025) aims to chart a pathway toward health autonomy on the continent.
The summit, themed “Strengthening Capacity in Clinical Trials Through Local Engagement and Global Partnership across Sub-Saharan Africa,” will bring together experts from global pharmaceutical companies, regulatory bodies, and government institutions.
Notable speakers include Dr. Obi Adigwe, Director-General of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), and Dr. Chinweike Ukomadu, Head of Gastrointestinal and Inflammation Therapeutic Area Unit at Takeda Global Research and Development.
The participation of senior officials, regulators, and industry leaders underscores the need for actionable commitments from local researchers, governments, and global pharmaceutical companies.
The summit will serve as a platform where global expertise and capital converge with local knowledge and political will. Discussions will focus on three priority areas: decentralising and diversifying clinical trial sites, establishing a new investment mandate, and operationalising the African Medicines Agency.
