Impact Stories | Science for Africa Foundation

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Impact Stories

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IMPACT STORIES

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News

8 September, 2026

Could the bacteria living inside the vagina help protect women from HIV?

Blogs

An unorthodox area of inquiry on HIV prevention is emerging from research led by African scientists based in Durban, South Africa. The research looks into the viability of healthy bacteria in the vagina in influencing a woman’s vulnerability to HIV infection.

News

2 July, 2026

Why investing in African mental health research matters

Blogs

^{By Raliza Stoyanova and Tom Kariuki}

News

3 October, 2025

Forging new paths in women’s health and natural product drug discovery

Blogs

Dr Kigondu’s passion for science didn’t come from textbooks or lab tours it was born from lived experience.

News

10 September, 2025

From promise to policy: Empowering young African researchers to shape the continent’s pandemic preparedness

Blogs

She sat and spoke before a packed room, her voice calm but resolute.

News

11 August, 2025

Africa’s secret weapon against the next pandemic

Blogs

In 2021, with support from a global funding partner, GIISER launched as a bold South-South collaboration. A network connecting powerhouse institutions in Africa with partners in India and Brazil.

News

4 August, 2025

Rewriting the ethical review rule book using artificial intelligence

Blogs

At the heart of Kombe’s work is a simple, bold question: Can artificial intelligence help streamline ethical reviews in Africa without compromising human judgment?

News

25 April, 2025

SFA Foundation grantee globally honoured for contributions to Malaria research in Africa

Blogs

World Malaria Day 2025 is marked with the theme “Malaria ends with us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite”, aiming to re-energize efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination.

News

6 March, 2025

Ugandan youth are innovating a climate resilient chicken value chain

Blogs

In the chicken value chain, producers complain about the rising costs of feed, the scarcity of water, the increase of disease and pests leading to heat stress and high mortality rates.

News

6 March, 2025

The data driven agricultural revolution in Africa

Blogs

Data analytics can be used to enable farmers to optimize irrigation, predict rainfall and improve soil health, thus reducing post-harvest losses.

News

22 October, 2024

The role of medicinal plants in Nigerian family planning

Blogs

The goal of our research is to develop an agent that will prevent pregnancy and will not interact with the hormonal system.

News

26 August, 2024

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL): Ten steps to improving strategic outcomes

Blogs

This article considers some important features of MEAL and how accounting for them early can lead to organisational success.

News

29 July, 2024

Strengthening climate resilience in Africa through evidence mapping

Blogs

The re search results can help improve agricultural practices, enhance food security, and promote sustainable development.

News

9 July, 2024

Potential treatment to effectively manage, prevent and treat new malaria infections

Blogs

It has become clear that most of the patients who are P. malariae positive return with parasites at the end of the recommended three-day artemether-lumefantrine (AL) treatment.

News

3 July, 2024

The cervical mucus barrier as a target for artificial neural network-inspired novel contraceptive

Blogs

The project seeks to develop a novel blend of biodegradable electro spun scaffolds whose properties will be optimized using artificial intelligence modelling.

News

26 June, 2024

Improving capture of data on stillbirths and neonatal deaths to enhance prevention efforts

Blogs

Every year, approximately two million babies are stillborn, and 2.3 million newborns die within the first month of life across the globe.

News

6 June, 2024

Strengthening mental health systems in Africa: Introducing the Africa CDC Mental Health Leadership Programme

Blogs

Africa CDC, through its Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries and Mental Health Division, recently launched the Africa CDC Mental Health Leadership Programme (AMHLP) to strengthen mental health systems on the continent.

News

22 May, 2024

Promoting research careers among young Africans: The fantastic journey of Francis Sena Nuvey

Blogs

The first time I met Francis Sena Nuvey, in 2017, was in Grand Bassam, during the kick-off meeting of the Themat

News

25 April, 2024

Why the SFA Foundation is funding malaria research

Blogs

As we commemorate World Malaria Day 2024, we are reminded of the progress made in the fight against this deadly disease.

News

10 April, 2024

Unleashing Africa’s innovation potential as a blueprint for sustainable development

Blogs

Creating an enabling environment for innovation requires addressing systemic challenges and fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers.

News

8 March, 2024

Closing the gender gap for women and girls in science

Blogs

The gender gap in science reflects more than numbers: it's a complex issue rooted in social, cultural and institutional factors.

News

4 March, 2024

An efficient but forgotten approach to mental health - community empowerment

Blogs

I think about empowerment as a way to foster a sense of belonging, where members of communities feel safe expressing themselves.

News

17 October, 2023

Controlling Malaria infections by blocking the transmission cycle

Blogs

Despite progress against malaria in the past 10-15 years, we in Africa are still struggling to get rid of the disease, which remains a major killer, with children bearing the brunt of the disease.

News

9 October, 2023

Inducing African governments to fund research and development

Blogs

GC Africa is an innovative and effective tool to unlock government R&D funding, as it is tailored to align with countries national priorities thereby funding innovations that address high-priority national development needs.

News

5 October, 2023

Addressing Africa's mental health crisis: Unleashing the potential of gifted minds through capacity building

Blogs

Gifted children often grapple with developmental imbalances, propelled by their heightened eagerness and accelerated capacity to learn. They may stumble upon their exceptional abilities by chance or realise their prowess when attempting something for the very first time.

News

13 September, 2023

A One Health solution for Buruli ulcer and chronic wounds management in Côte d’Ivoire

Blogs

To contain the problem and improve patient care management, a multidisciplinary research project, led by Afrique One-ASPIRE, a DELTAS Africa initiative, focused on zoonotic elimination using the One Health framework.

News

4 September, 2023

Exploring the power of science citizenry

Blogs

The simple definition of science citizenry is the participation of citizens in the scientific process, involving the active engagement of individuals in scientific activities and the promotion of scientific knowledge within society.

News

26 July, 2023

Treating Tuberculosis, the traditional way

Blogs

In 2021, there were approximately 10.6 million new cases of TB globally, with the disease claiming more than a million lives, according to the WHO.

News

17 July, 2023

Discovering new treatments to fight infectious diseases and resistance

Blogs

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rising problem globally, with a study estimating that in 2019, 1.3 million deaths were attributed to antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections globally. The burden is highest in Africa, with 24 deaths per 100,000 attributable to AMR.

News

7 July, 2023

Tackling neonatal infections in Africa using data

Blogs

The well-being of a society can be measured by the longevity of its children. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) In 2021, one million new-borns (neonates) in Sub-Saharan Africa did not survive to see their one-month birthday.

News

24 April, 2023

DELTAS Africa: A hub and spoke model of funding research

Blogs

Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training, and Science in Africa (DELTAS Africa) is a long-term, multimillion-dollar programme introduced in 2015 to support consortia...

News

19 April, 2023

Harnessing genomics data for improving Africa's biodiversity and agriculture

Blogs

The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) and the African BioGenome Project (AfricaBP), recently announced an alliance, the Alliance for Biodiversity Genomics in Africa...

News

26 February, 2024

Targeting the next Malaria drug through molecular dynamics and biochemical confirmation

Case Studies

This project aims to find new drugs for treating malaria by studying a specific protein essential for the malaria parasite's survival, called PfHsp90.

News

26 September, 2023

Enhancing drug discovery research through synthesis and evaluation of identified molecules in the pathogen box

Case Studies

Drug Discovery (DD) is the process through which potential new medicines are identified. It is woefully underdeveloped in most parts of Africa.

News

19 September, 2023

How GFGP has helped a prominent African research organisation and its partners to strengthen governance practices

Case Studies

The main objectives of GFGP are to standardise grantee assessments and to eliminate duplications, which are expensive in terms of time and resources.