Sponsor: NIHR Global Health Research Unit Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa at the University of Edinburgh (TIBA)

Date: September 16-18th 2019

Venue: Fiesta Royale Hotel, Accra, Ghana

Following a successful first meeting in Durban last year, we are delighted to be holding the 2nd TIBA Annual General Meeting in Accra, Ghana, from September 16-18th 2019. At this meeting, we will report on a range of activities in research, training and implementation, all relating to how African health systems deal with neglected tropical diseases and being carried out by our partners in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. We will also report on our Dissemination for Action activities in partnership with AUDA-NEPAD, WHO AFRO and industry.

In addition, we will be holding a workshop for funders and stakeholders in African health and health systems research. The theme for this workshop is the ‘Role of Sustainable Partnerships for Research Leading to Improved Health Systems and Universal Health Coverage in Africa’. The objective of this workshop is to discuss the future of partnerships for improving health research and its impact in Africa, building on a conversation on knowlegde partnerships that began at the Grand Challenges meeting held in London in 2016.

We are seeking to share information from two perspectives. Firstly, the views of African stakeholders on what is needed and how, based on lessons learned,  it should be delivered. Second, the views of regional and international funders on their strategic goals in Africa and how they see these being achieved. There are four underlying themes: accessibility, excellence, impact and sustainability. The Chair of TIBA’s External Advisory Group, Professor Abdallah Daar, University of Toronto, will chair the workshop. The audience (over 100) will include senior academics, researchers and postgraduate students from a range of disciplines but all doing work relating to health and health systems in Africa.

We are delighted that representatives from the following organisations have accepted our invitation to participate and speak at the workshop - WHO Regional Office for Africa, Africa Research Network for NTDs, Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, AUDA-NEPAD, University of Edinburgh (UK), Access Bank, Merck KGaA, Department of Health and Social Care (UK), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Wellcome Trust, and the African Academy of Sciences.

The workshop will be in two parts. First, each panelist will be invited to speak on their organisation’s approach to sustainable partnerships, especially in the context of African health and health systems. Second, there will be a panel discussion with the audience having an opportunity to ask questions.

We look forward to welcoming all registered delegates in Accra.