Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38174097›Full record

ArticleOpen research Africa2023

Funding and COVID-19 research in Africa: two years on, are the research needs of Africa being met?

Emilia Antonio, Moses Alobo, Marta Tufet Bayona, Kevin Marsh, Proochista Ariana, Alice Norton

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Open research Africa, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Overcoming Vaccine Inequities and Research Gaps in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Identified During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Emilia AntonioPandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9375-6936
Moses AloboScience For Africa Foundation, Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya.
Marta Tufet BayonaGAVI Alliance, Geneva, Switzerland.
Kevin MarshScience For Africa Foundation, Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya.
Proochista ArianaCentre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Alice NortonPandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK.

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused significantly lower reported mortalities on the African continent as compared to other regions. Yet, many countries on the continent are still contending with the devastating economic, social and indirect health impacts. African researchers and policy makers have identified research priority areas which take cognisance of the unique research needs of African countries. A baseline assessment of the alignment of funded research in Africa to these priorities and World Health Organization's COVID-19 research priorities was undertaken in July, 2020. We present a two-year update to this analysis of funded COVID-19 research in Africa.

methodsData captured in the UK Collaborative on Development Research and Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness COVID-19 Research Project Tracker as of 15th July, 2022 was analysed. An additional analysis of institutions receiving funding for COVID-19 research is presented. We also analysed the change in funding for COVID-19 research in Africa since July, 2020.

resultsThe limited COVID-19 research identified in Africa early in the pandemic has persisted over the subsequent two-year period assessed. When number of projects are considered, governmental funders based in Europe and United States supported the most research. Only nine research funders based in Africa were identified. A number of partnerships between African institutions and institutions based on other continents were identified, however, most research projects were undertaken in research institutions based in Africa only. Our findings highlight the relevance of the WHO research priorities for the pandemic response in Africa. Many research questions raised by African researchers remain unaddressed, among which are questions related to clinical management of COVID-19 infections in Africa.

conclusionsTwo years after the identification of Africa's COVID-19 research priorities, the findings suggest a missed opportunity in new research funding to answer pertinent questions for the pandemic response in Africa.

Indexed as

AfricaCOVID-19ResearchResearch prioritisationResponse

Identifiers

PMID38174097
PMCPMC10762293

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.