Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science;
Dr Pascoal Mocumbi, High Representative of the EDCTP;
Honourable Ministers;
Honourable Members of the South African and European Parliaments;
Excellencies and Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Director-General Mjwara, our Programme Director;
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning. Welcome to Cape Town and South Africa.
It is a great honour for the South African Department of Science and Technology, to co-host this important conference with the European Commission. The event forms part of a series of activities taking place in Cape Town this week to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the entry into force of the South Africa-EU Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology. I am therefore especially delighted to welcome Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn to South Africa, for what I hope will be the first of many visits.
It has always been one of the key objectives of the South Africa-EU partnership in science and technology to also contribute to strengthening the broader cooperation between Africa and the EU in research and innovation. By bringing together policy- and decision-makers and an impressive range of experts from various African and European states, to consider plans for enhancing collaboration in the fight against infectious diseases, the South African Government and the European Commission’s co-hosting of the conference is aligned with this objective.
South Africa has enjoyed an active partnership with the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) over many years, including through hosting the EDCTP Africa Office at our Medical Research Council since 2004. A significant number of South African researchers have benefitted from the programme and tomorrow you will have the opportunity to visit several clinical trial sites in the Cape Town region receiving precious support from the EDCTP. Cooperation under the EDCTP is truly one of the flagships of not only South Africa-EU but also Africa-EU cooperation. It is therefore highly appropriate that the conference to present the next phase of the EDCTP to African partners constitute the highlight of this week’s programme.
During the course of today, several speakers will review the outcomes of the first phase of the EDCTP. The panel discussions will provide you with an opportunity to contribute to this analysis. In order to better prepare the future, we should not fear to be critical as appropriate. I do, however, believe that not many in the audience will disagree if I state that the ECDTP over the past few years has contributed immensely to accelerating the development of new interventions to fight HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis and to enhance Africa’s research capacities in relation to these diseases. Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn, I have no doubt that I can speak in confidence on behalf of the African partners when thanking the European Union for this invaluable investment and support.
The EDCTP is indeed a success story and as we look towards the future, there is a solid foundation upon which we can build. This audience needs no reminding that Africa, home to 11% of the world’s population, accounts for less than 1% of global health expenditure, but carries 25% of the world’s burden of disease. The intertwined scourges of poverty, malnutrition, infectious diseases are compounded by limited access to affordable, effective, safe and quality medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools. The challenge before us remains as considerable as when the EDCTP was first launched. Let there be no doubt that we should step up our efforts.
The European Commission’s proposal for the EDCTP to be not only continued but to be considerably enhanced, by broadening its focus to other neglected infectious diseases and the full cycle of clinical trial phases, is, thus, not only welcome and appropriate but essential. It is incumbent on African partners to respond to this proposal, by contributing today and during the coming months their inputs in order to ensure the design of a programme, which will enable efficient and effective partnership.
I would like to confirm that South Africa stands ready to respond, in cooperation with African and European partners, to this challenge. We remain committed to the EDCTP and pledge our full and active participation in the preparation of its next phase. An effort we see as an integral part of our national programmes and investments.
Harnessing health innovation to fight disease and improve the quality of living of our citizens remains one of the strategic priorities for South Africa’s science and technology investment. In the context of today’s conference, I thought it would be appropriate to briefly share with you two recent highlights of the South African research effort in the fight against infectious diseases. These are good examples of the experience and expertise, in addition to other resources, South Africa will contribute to EDCTP-2.
Firstly, a study published in Nature Medicine last month, described how a unique change in the outer covering of the virus found in two HIV infected South African women enabled them to make potent antibodies which are able to kill up to 88% of HIVs found throughout the world. This study was undertaken by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) consortium, involving scientists from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Cape Town, and several international partners. This ground-breaking discovery provides important clues that could be useful in making an AIDS vaccine. The opportunity for partnership with EDCTP-2 is obvious and exciting.
Secondly, in August of this year, South African scientists announced the discovery of a compound that has the potential to become part of a single-dose cure for all strains of malaria. Perhaps most significantly, this might also be able to block transmission of the parasite from person to person. This research collaboration involves the Medicines for Malaria Venture and the Drug Discovery and Development Centre at the University of Cape Town. This is the first compound researched on African soil that will enter into the pre-clinical phase. In our view, this is exactly the type of enhancement of African capacities, which EDCTP-2 could and should support.
As we prepare the next phase of the EDCTP, we can celebrate important achievements, which set the EDCTP apart as a unique funding instrument. The effective coordination of the respective investments by the European Commission and different European states can only be admired as we seek to develop similar programmes in Africa. The cooperation between and indeed joint investments by the EDCTP and industry partners as well as foundations have been impressive. Networking has been promoted at various levels, North-North, South-North, also South-South. So what more should we do?
We believe it is absolutely essential for there to be stronger co-ownership by African Governments of the next phase of the EDCTP. This will enable greater African strategic input into the design and implementation of the programme to ensure better alignment with existing African national and regional initiatives. Not only will this approach build our continent’s research and innovation capacities in an optimal manner but it will also enhance Africa’s profile as a science and technology partner for Europe.
Co-ownership, however, also means co-investment. Africa is committed to and is increasing its investment in research and innovation. Partnership frameworks such as the EDCTP create an opportunity for leveraging even greater returns on these investments. South Africa is already investing significantly from our national budget to support the participation of South African researchers in EDCTP projects. We will continue to do so and stand ready to enter into discussions with our partners for even more ambitious cooperation during the next phase of the EDCTP. It is my hope that we will be joined by many of our African partners in this endeavour. The EDCTP is a shared opportunity but also shared responsibility for Africa and Europe. Let’s make it work.
To conclude, allow me to leave you with a thought to ponder as you begin this important conference. The late Hannes Alfvén, the 1970 winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, once said: “We have to learn again that science without contact with experiments is an enterprise that is likely to go completely astray into imaginary conjecture.” Ladies and gentlemen, I know that our Clinical Trials Partnership will not go astray into “imaginary conjecture” but that it will continue to produce valuable outputs in the interests of all of humanity.
It would be amiss for me to end this address without expressing our sincere appreciation to our partners in the European Commission’s Directorate-General Research and Innovation and at the EDCTP Offices, in The Hague and Cape Town, for their hard work and outstanding cooperation in preparing today’s event. To Director-General Robert-Jan Smits, Prof Charles Mgone and Dr Michael Makanga our most sincere thanks. Today’s event is only one step on a journey we are privileged and committed to travel with you.
I wish you all rich and fruitful debate. I thank you.
