• A groundbreaking research initiative is set to enhance Africa’s preparedness and response to future health crises.
• The partnership will nurture and equip young African scientists to address epidemics and pandemics and support a thriving research ecosystem on the continent.
• The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative is a multi-year partnership between the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation), the Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) at the University of Oxford, and the Mastercard Foundation.

Nairobi, Kenya | Toronto, Canada | Oxford, UK, March 27, 2025 – The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation), the Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) at the University of Oxford, and the Mastercard Foundation today announce a new partnership to strengthen Africa’s resilience against future health threats.

The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative will nurture and equip young African scientists – with the support of senior scientists – to address the current and future challenges of epidemics and pandemics. The goal is to create pathways for dignified and fulfilling careers in life science and to help build and retain a critical mass of high-calibre young scientists on the continent, ensuring knowledge continuity between generations of researchers while strengthening Africa’s resilience to emerging health threats.

The world, and Africa in particular, continues to experience outbreaks of infectious diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential, triggered and intensified by climate change, biodiversity loss, migration, displacement, and conflict. Increased and routine interactions between humans and animals – often driven by livelihood dependencies – create conditions for the spillover of pathogens.

In February 2025, there were 54 active outbreaks and 82 ongoing public health events across the continent. On average, Africa faces over 100 disease outbreaks annually, underscoring the urgency for scientific collaboration, health workforce development, stronger linkages with decision-makers, and coordinated preparedness and response. But despite representing approximately 17 percent of the global population, the continent produces only one-to-two percent of global health research publications, and there is an urgent need for sustainable funding to support career development.

Over the next six years, the Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative will strengthen partnerships between higher education and research institutions and policymakers in Africa and beyond to develop a thriving research ecosystem. The Collaborative will support institutions in conducting world-class, innovative research and in translating findings into impactful, locally relevant solutions that contribute to shaping and strengthening pandemic resilience and the broader health ecosystem.

The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative will deploy an innovative structure based on networks of excellence called Epidemic and Pandemic Sciences Innovation and Leadership Networks (EPSILONs), each led by outstanding African scientists.

The Collaborative combines the Science for Africa Foundation’s extensive experience in strengthening and promoting science and innovation across Africa with the scientific expertise of the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, which has a mission to discover, create and enable practical solutions for infectious disease threats worldwide.

The Collaborative is supported by the Mastercard Foundation in alignment with its charitable purpose of youth education and relief of poverty. Its Young Africa Works strategy aims to enable 30 million young Africans, particularly young women, to access opportunities for dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.

Professor Tom Kariuki, Chief Executive Officer of Science for Africa Foundation, said: “At the SFA Foundation, we are both honoured and energised by the transformative work that this Collaborative will drive in strengthening the preparedness and resilience of African nations, and beyond, against current and future pandemics. Africa is home to brilliant young minds with the talent and ingenuity to develop science-driven solutions that can safeguard and improve the lives of over 1.37 billion people across the continent. However, realising this potential requires the right mentorship, support systems, and resources. Our strategic partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and PSI forms a critical step in turning these innovations into impactful, real-world solutions.”

Professor Sir Peter Horby, Director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford commented: “COVID-19 showed us the vital importance of scientific research and innovation in developing and testing vaccines, treatments and diagnostics, ultimately saving lives and livelihoods. But it also exposed the fragility of global solidarity and the deeply ingrained inequity in who is empowered to generate new scientific knowledge and who benefits from that science. Five years on, it’s more important than ever that we support African-led, science-backed solutions to infectious disease threats. This partnership will nurture and train the next generation of African scientists, ensuring African priorities inform both regional and global solutions.”

Peter Materu, Chief Program Officer at Mastercard Foundation, said: “These investments will accelerate locally driven research, expand scientific leadership, and strengthen Africa’s ability to prepare for and respond to emerging health threats. By supporting a new generation of African researchers and institutions, this initiative will help shape a more resilient and self-sustaining health ecosystem across the continent.”