African universities have been urged to strengthen research collaboration, increase domestic funding and expand local innovation to address health challenges and support economic and social development.

The call was made during the African Research University Alliance (ARUA) meeting and its 4th Annual Distinguished Public Lecture, held at the University of Rwanda in Kigali on October 15–16. University leaders, researchers and students discussed ways to strengthen research capacity and improve African institutions’ global competitiveness.

A lecture delivered on October 16 by Rwandan geneticist and medical researcher Professor Leon Mutesa focused on "Innovations and Capacity Building in Biomanufacturing to address health system gaps in Africa”.

Participants highlighted the need for closer cooperation to develop scientific talent, attract funding and strengthen postgraduate training, particularly in infectious diseases, vaccine production and essential health technologies.

The event also marked the launch of research profiles covering ARUA’s 23 member universities, examining student enrolment, academic staffing, publications, funding and postgraduate education from 2015 to 2025.

Dr Didas Kayihura Muganga, Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, said ARUA enables institutions to pool resources and expertise to strengthen research.

"ARUA is about working together — bringing together peer African institutions that are willing to work together by pooling their limited resources, to generate a critical mass that could more effectively support their limited but growing numbers of researchers,” he said.

Established in 2015, ARUA brings together 23 universities across 13 African countries to strengthen research capacity and global competitiveness.

Local vaccine production critical to health security

Mutesa said the Covid-19 pandemic exposed Africa’s dependence on imported vaccines and essential health technologies, leaving countries vulnerable when global supplies are disrupted.

He called for greater investment in local biomanufacturing, stronger research institutions and a skilled workforce. Rwanda’s growing biotechnology sector, including initiatives in vaccine development, genomics and regulatory capacity, offers an example of efforts to build this capacity, he said.

Mutesa urged governments to increase domestic research funding rather than rely predominantly on external grants.

"Number one, increase the domestic funding,” he said.

He said African researchers have considerable expertise and access to diverse genetic resources but often lack the financing needed to turn ideas into practical solutions. Governments should work with regional organisations, development partners and the private sector to expand local manufacturing and technology transfer.

Retaining skilled professionals is also essential.

"Retain and retrain,” he emphasised, calling for investment in developing and retaining scientific talent.

Mutesa said regional collaboration was indispensable because no single African country could independently mobilise all the expertise, infrastructure and financing needed to address the continent’s health challenges.

Rwanda’s research contribution

Mutesa said the University of Rwanda has more than 32,000 students across seven colleges, 23 schools and 45 centres, and collaborates with 190 foreign universities and research institutions.

Its health research priorities include clinical trials, vaccine development, maternal and child health, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance and health systems strengthening.

He cited the university’s contribution to Rwanda’s Covid-19 response, including pooled testing at points of entry, as well as genomic research on Mpox, work related to the Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda and research into a potential chikungunya vaccine.

Research also covers biotechnology applications in agriculture, veterinary science, environmental protection and industry. Mutesa called for greater investment in data science, bioinformatics, genomic sequencing and other advanced technologies, alongside partnerships that help turn research into products and services.

He said sustainable domestic funding and an enabling environment were needed to support researchers, while publishing findings could raise institutional visibility and attract partnerships.

Students encouraged to pursue research

The lecture also gave students an opportunity to learn about the role of research in addressing health challenges.

Hamim Giraneza, 22, a Level Three student at the University of Rwanda’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences, said the event helped him understand Rwanda’s health development and the contribution of researchers to responding to emerging diseases.

"We are happy that we were able to meet education experts and had a chance for a public lecture on health development in Rwanda, especially the journey the country has undergone and the role of the University of Rwanda’s researchers in carrying out research on emerging fields, especially pandemics and outbreaks,” he said.

Giraneza said the experience had strengthened his understanding of young health practitioners’ responsibility to conduct research that addresses community needs.

The event coincided with a meeting of ARUA deputy vice-chancellors responsible for academic affairs, research, innovation and postgraduate training. Discussions focused on research infrastructure, postgraduate education, strategic partnerships and sharing expertise.

ARUA report highlights research funding and gender gaps

Research profiles covering ARUA’s 23 member universities show rising enrolment and publication output between 2015 and 2025, but persistent gaps in research funding, doctoral training and gender representation.

Presenting the findings, ARUA Secretary-General Professor John Gyapong said the alliance had made progress but needed to do more to expand funding and strengthen postgraduate training.

The universities enrolled about 1.21 million students in 2025, up from 493,523 in 2015. Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana accounted for about 31 per cent of the combined total, with 239,934 and 138,124 students, respectively.

Undergraduate students represented a median 81 per cent of enrolment across institutions, pointing to a narrow postgraduate pipeline.

Gender disparities widened at higher levels of study. The median male-to-female ratio rose from 0.90 at undergraduate level to 1.01 at postgraduate level and 1.27 at doctoral level. Of the 20 universities reporting doctoral enrolment data, 13 had more male than female doctoral students.

Postdoctoral research was concentrated in five universities, which hosted 74 per cent of the 3,139 postdoctoral researchers reported in 2025. Only five of the 22 universities reporting data had women accounting for at least half of their permanent academic staff.

Publications nearly doubled, from 16,897 in 2015 to 33,024 in 2025. However, the universities’ share of Africa’s total publications fell from 30 per cent to 23 per cent, reflecting growth in research output elsewhere on the continent.

Funding was also concentrated as five universities accounted for 72 per cent of the research income reported. Makerere University reported $173.8 million, followed by the University of Cape Town ($148.6 million), the University of the Witwatersrand ($143.8 million), Stellenbosch University ($128.1 million) and Addis Ababa University ($86.8 million).

Gyapong urged universities to mobilise more research grants, strengthen doctoral supervision, improve PhD completion rates and expand postdoctoral fellowships and opportunities for young researchers.