6 June 2008
editorial
Nairobi — African countries have allowed Western institutions to raise billions of dollars from donors, but the bulk of the money remains in the West.
According to an international report published in the journal, Science, while the money is raised on behalf of Africa's research, its management, study prioritisation and disbursement are made without any representation from Africa.
Consequently, research on Africa's problems remains neglected. For example, of the 1,393 new drugs approved in the last 25 years, only 13 were specifically meant for tropical diseases.
No wonder, then, that Africa carries the heaviest disease burden in the world. The blame lies squarely with African scientists and their corrupt institutions.
Using this money, research institutions in the West co-opt collaborators in African academies, pay them huge salaries and allowances, and then proceed to decide the countries' research agenda.
Local researchers are thus unable to negotiate for equal recognition when it comes to intellectual property rights and sharing of royalties, either for themselves, their institutions or for their countries.
African governments are also to blame for their high appetite for corrupt deals in their research institutions and regulatory bodies, which allows donor funds to remain unaccounted for. Fund managers in the West are exploiting this situation to justify their actions.
Individual African governments, as well as the African Union, must get involved in tracking such funds, influencing research priorities, and making sure promises made to donors are kept.
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