Supporting the next generation of outstanding African researchers, who will help solve some of Africa’s greatest health and development challenges is a key priority for the continent.
It is for this reason that the African Union (AU) Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2015, endorsed the establishment of the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) – a platform created by the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and the NEPAD Agency.
Housed at AAS headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, this pan-African platform offers an opportunity for long-term development of research leadership, scientific excellence and innovation that will impact on Africa’s developmental challenges. The AESA platform, among other things, is identifying challenges that hinder rapid scientific advancement in Africa, run open calls for proposals with transparent review processes, actively manage grants and evaluate and measure the impact of such investments. AESA promotes collaborative and coordinated implementation of the AU’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2024) in the area of health.