Strengthening capacity in clinical research in Africa: IAVI’s capacity building project

Since Sep 2024, Pharmalys have conducted an intensive series of capacity-building training sessions initially focusing on Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Good Documentation Practice (GDP), and Data Integrity, these will be followed by a clinical trial implementation and quality training in 2025.

These GCP, GDP and data integrity trainings have been held at four sites across West Africa in Nigeria and Sierra Leone thus far: Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Kenema Government Hospital, Owo Federal Hospital, and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, with the fifth site training (Phebe Hospital, Liberia) expected in 2025.

This initiative is part of the preparation for upcoming phase 2b/LEAP4WA/IAVI C111 clinical trial on Lassa fever co-funded by EDCTP and CEPI and sponsored by IAVI. The goal is to equip researchers with the knowledge and best practices needed to conduct trials that meet international standards. It focused on enhancing the competency of the study team to efficiently conduct clinical trials with integrity, in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and to generate quality data while prioritizing participant rights, safety, and wellbeing.

“I sincerely appreciate the enabling platform provided for this training, which has fostered learning, collaboration, and capacity strengthening in clinical research,” said one participant. “The opportunity to engage with experts, share knowledge, and enhance our skills will have a lasting impact on our work. Thank you for the commitment to excellence and for empowering us to uphold the highest standards in clinical trials.”

Overall, the engaging training sessions fostered a collaborative learning environment and enhanced participants’ understanding of global research standards. Such initiatives are crucial to ensuring #CountAfricaIn in clinical research, building local expertise, and contributing to the global scientific community. Supporting and expanding these projects will help create a more inclusive and equitable future for clinical research worldwide.

The Pharmalys training team is very passionate and excited to be part of this initiative. We sincerely thank the funders and all stakeholders for providing this platform and look forward to collaborating on future initiatives.