Several African countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal and Botswana have launched Grand challenges. In 2023, the SFA Foundation has enabled the establishment and Launch of Grand Challenges Rwanda and Grand Challenges Malawi.
Launched in 2015, Grand Challenges Ethiopia is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia and is hosted at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI). It seeks to fund Ethiopian investigators with innovative projects in the health sector to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Launched in 2023, Grand Challenges Malawi is being implemented by the National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST) and seeks to accelerate innovation and trigger sustainable solutions that will have a lasting impact on Malawi’s development. It was launched through a partnership with the AUDA-NEPAD and the SFA Foundation.
Launched in 2023, Grand Challenges Malawi is an initiative of Rwanda’s National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) to fund Rwandan scientists to collaborate with their peers in Africa to conduct research that addresses and solves the most critical development challenges in Rwanda and Africa. Its launch was enabled by a partnership with the SFA Foundation and AUDA-NEPAD.
Grand Challenges Senegal was launched by the Government of Senegal in October 2022 with a vision to enable the next set of breakthroughs in discovery and translational life science in West Africa, with seed funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and ELMA Philanthropies. Gc Senegal is hosted by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) foundation.
Launched in 2015, Grand Challenges South Africa is a partnership framework for the South African Medical Research Council (SA MRC), the Department of Science and Innovation of the South Africa, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch joint challenges aimed at catalysing innovative health research within South Africa.
Jesse Gitaka, GC Africa grantee, pushing boundaries in his lab at the Mount Kenya University.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and Data Science policy gaps from an African perspective. The African STI landscape is witnessing the emergence of AI and Data Science across various sectors. However, for these technologies to have their full positive impact, it is crucial to develop trust among stakeholders and formulate contextualized policies that support their implementation in the region. This grant aims to address these areas by:
" If scientific results are not shared broadly, then the societal benefits are significantly limited. We have a responsibility to ensure that policymakers have access to the best, relevant and up-to-date knowledge available. To achieve Africa’s sustainable development goals, it is critical that policy decisions are informed by contextually relevant evidence”. - Uzma Alam, SPEAR programme lead.