The Final Lap: Building What Africa Needs Most
As I step into my final months as President of AORTIC my focus has never been clearer: Africa needs a ecosystem that truly works for our people. Not tomorrow. Not someday. NOW. But what do we mean by a research ecosystem?
It’s more than just researchers and data; it’s an entire supportive environment that ensures good ideas turn into better patient care. For us, this means:
- Equipping local researchers to ask the right questions for our context. Not copy-paste from elsewhere. Providing seed funding (microgrants) to test practical solutions in real clinics and communities.
- Creating trusted African-led journals where these findings can be shared and discussed, so no knowledge stays hidden.
- Building skills and mentorship so our people can write, publish, grow funding, and scale what works.
And above all, connecting these efforts so that every lesson learnt in one hospital can help millions across the continent.
Through the AORTIC Ubuntu Cancer Foundation [ADD LINK] which was recently established, we are building this ecosystem piece by piece. We’re talking: AORTIC microgrants [ADD LINK] to seed local research that provides solutions for local problems. The AORTIC Journal – an African-led, African-owned research platform to publish and share what works for our patients. AORTIC capacity building training researchers and teams to turn good ideas into real-world impact.
Let us know if you would like to be part of it. Because no one is coming to solve our problems for us, we must do this together.
