Welcome address by the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor MP, to the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP2) High-Level Conference, Cape Town
EU Director-General Robert-Jan Smits,
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.
On behalf of the South African Department of Science and Technology it's a pleasure to welcome you to South Africa, to Cape Town, and to this conference that we have the honour to co-host with the European Commission.
I am especially delighted to have welcomed Commissioner Carlos Moedas to South Africa. I know he is not here now, having had to fly home for an urgent meeting, but he was able to spend three days in Cape Town over the weekend and we met for talks yesterday.
We are here to strengthen the broader cooperation between Africa and the EU in research and innovation. Specifically we are here to launch European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP2), which will be implemented from 2014-2024 as part of the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020.
South Africa has enjoyed an active partnership with the EDCTP over many years, including the 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.
One of the lessons we learned from the first phase of the EDCTP, which ended in December 2013, was the need to create a common European-African platform with mutually committed partners that cooperate in clinical trials for poverty-related diseases.
The General Assembly of the EDCTP now includes eleven African states, namely, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Gambia, Niger and Zambia. And there are soon to be a few more.
We hope that the inclusion of more African states will not only enable us to benefit from wider expertise and resources, but will also put the African continent in a better position to respond to and prevent health threats like Ebola. It costs much less to prevent a health crisis than to deal with one.
Over the past few years the ECDTP 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.
I have no doubt that I can speak on behalf of the African partners when thanking the European Union for this invaluable investment and support.
With your support Africa has ramped up its investment in scientific research. Let me elaborate. Sub-Saharan Africa contributes about 2.3 per cent of world gross domestic product but is responsible for only 0.4 per cent of global expenditure in research and development (R&D). With 12 per cent of the world’s population, it is home to only 1.1 per cent of the world’s scientific researchers.
However, a recent World Bank report shows a growth in the quality and quantity of sub-Saharan African (the report excludes South Africa) research. Over the last decade SSA’s share of global research publications has increased from 0.44% to 0.72% (so has South Africa's). Nearly half of this research has been in health sciences and this is welcome in the face of Africa's health challenges.
It's important because Africa 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.
There is clearly, as the World Bank report reveals, a large scientific base in Africa, but we have work to do in training and strengthening our African research relationships. Our aim is to boost research and innovation in Africa. We cannot thrive in isolation. We need to be part of a vibrant African research and innovation system.
As we begin the second phase of the EDCTP, we can celebrate those achievements that set the EDCTP apart as a unique funding instrument - the effective coordination of the respective investments by the European Commission and different European States, and the cooperation between the EDCTP and industry partners as well as foundations.
To strengthen our existing projects and learn from the experiences of others, we have also forged a number of mutually beneficial partnerships.
One such partnership is the Grand Challenges South Africa partnership. This partnership is aimed at reducing the burden of preterm birth and addressing the causes of deaths in women during pregnancy and childbirth.
Another is the Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships, or SHIP, which facilitates collaborative research dedicated to addressing the burden of HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and non-communicable diseases, and helps to secure international research and financial partnerships to drive R&D efforts.
In August this year, the SHIP and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, or PATH, launched a partnership called the Global Health Innovation Accelerator. This partnership aims to fast-track the most promising technologies to address the health needs of low-resource communities. It will connect the funding, scientific and technical expertise of global partners with local scientists and innovators to accelerate product development.
What's new in the second phase?
First, the second phase of EDCTP focusses on neglected infectious diseases like river blindness and sleeping sickness - and especially Ebola - and the full cycle of clinical trial phases.
Second, the EDCTP is not only a shared opportunity but also a shared responsibility for Africa and Europe.
It's a shared responsibility in the sense of a stronger co-ownership by African Governments. This has enabled a greater African strategic input into the design and implementation of the programme. Not only will this approach build Africa's research and innovation capacities but it will also enhance Africa’s profile as a science and technology partner for Europe.
Third, co-ownership 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.
The decadal EDCTP2 budget is Euro 1.4 billion, containing a sum contributed by the EU, matched by European EDCTP2 member states, and added to by philanthropic organisations.
South Africa is committed to the EDCTP and we pledge our full and active participation in the second phase. 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 closing, I would like to thank 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.
