The South African Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor is opening the international meeting on USD 600 million (R4,4 billion) endowment fund to be proposed at African Network of Drug and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) meeting in Cape Town, 4 to 7 October 2009.
Plans for a first ever African owned and managed innovation fund to finance drugs and diagnostics research will be the focus of talks at the second meeting of key stakeholders supporting the formation of a new African Network for Drug and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) to be held between 4 to 7 October in Cape Town, South Africa.
This meeting is being hosted by the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) and organised by the MRC, TDR (the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases), the Department of Science and Technology South Africa, and the Department of Health South Africa.
Discussions for arriving at a plan for the formation of ANDI are being put forward by a task force composed of select heads of African research institutions, policy makers, representative of Africans in the Diaspora, international and multilateral organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Commission and supported by observers from relevant African organisations, public-private partnerships and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Date: 4 October 2009
Venue: MRC Conference Centre, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley (Opposite Tygerberg Hospital)
Time: 16h00 to 19h00
The programme for Sunday:
From 16h00 to 19h00:
* Opening ceremony
* Opening remarks
* Meeting objectives
* Keynote address Department of Science and Technology (DST) Minister Naledi
* Pandor will be opening the meeting
* Moderators: LOC and ANDI Task Force
* South African government official(s)
* African Senior Government officials
* World Health Organisation (WHO) officials
19h00: Cocktails
To read more about the ANDI initiative, you can go to: http://apps.who.int/tdr/svc/news-events/events/tdr/andi-09
Enquiries:
Julian Jacobs
Cell: 082 454 4902
Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
1 October 2009
