The partnership is framed in a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations. It taps COHRED’s experience and practical approaches to health research system building with many developing countries, and directly supports implementation of the NEPAD Health Strategy

Says NEPAD Health Advisor, Prof. Eric Buch : “COHRED’s past expertise in advocating for Essential National Health Research (ENHR) across Africa and its current programme - supporting countries to build their health research systems - helps NEPAD and Africa achieve their health goals.

“COHRED is a suitable partner because of its country-level focus and expertise. And for its plans to grow African ownership and capacity and to establish an office in Africa with regional and country partnerships,” explains Buch.

For COHRED, the NEPAD partnership strengthens the case for countries and development partners to invest in research for health in Africa, explains COHRED Director, Prof. Carel IJsselmuiden.

“As an initiative of all African Heads of State, NEPAD helps bridge the health research-evidence-policy gap. Allied to NEPAD’s advocacy role, COHRED’s support to countries will help make African health research - in and by Africa - a reality.”

COHRED’s expertise and studies will further assist the NEPAD strategies for health and science and technology, supporting its aim of creating African centres of excellence in various scientific disciplines.

NEPAD and COHRED have agreed that :

They will work together to create one or more African COHRED centres with the expertise to help countries generate effective national health research systems. A first phase is the current joint effort to engage countries to ‘...map Africa’s health research capability in relation to its own needs and challenges’.

COHRED will provide input and evidence from its programme to support NEPAD’s aim of developing a science and technology health policy or health research components of the science and technology policy.

NEPAD’s Health Secretariat may direct questions to COHRED to investigate issues related to health research systems and policy.

They will work together to encourage African researchers to include indicators in their national research that will contribute to monitoring NEPAD’s achievement of its health and health research goals.

NEPAD’s Health Secretariat will invite COHRED (through its partners in Africa), to provide technical support in preparation of documents related to health research policy and systems development, to conduct continent-wide analysis, or develop policy briefings to address issues of specific concern.

COHRED will work with African partners and key northern organisations to enable an African platform for exchange in health research for development.