Shaping Africa-led research funding amid global shifts

Amidst the changing landscape in global research funding, research leaders are considering establishing Africa-led initiatives for research funding streams in alignment with the AU Agenda 2063.

The researchers, science policymakers, funding partners, and institutional leaders from across the continent gathered for the 2025 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI ) annual meeting at the Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda for this discussion

The meeting, held from 27 to 31 October explored the theme: “Advancing Africa’s Future-Ready Generation: Leveraging Science, Collaboration, and Research Partnerships for Self-Sustainability and Aligned Growth.”

The meeting was opened by Monica Musenero Masanza, Uganda’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, who said that there is a need to connect science to the national economies and development in Africa, and create pan African collaborative platforms like ORTARChI to ensure knowledge and benefit sharing from science, thus contributing to Africa’s Development.

Ham-Mukasa Mulira, Senior Presidential Advisor on ICT in his keynote address, called for intentional investment in innovation ecosystems and digital readiness.

Setting the tone

The opening plenary, chaired by David Meya, the O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chair at Makerere University, set the tone for a week focused on collaborative growth, knowledge translation, and sustainability.

In his welcome remarks, Barnabas Nawangwe, vice chancellor of Makerere University, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to science as an engine for inclusive development.

He emphasised the shared commitment to science as a catalyst for inclusive development and the program’s role in empowering Africa to define its own development trajectory.

Speakers representing ORTARChI ’s key funding and implementing partners including, Rose Msiza from the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation, South Africa, Natasha Allie from the Oliver & Adelaide Tambo Foundation, Dorothy Ngila from the National Research Foundation, NRF, and Martin Patrick Ongol from the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, echoed the same message – that collaboration and coordinated policy action are central to building an Africa-owned research agenda.

The event highlighted Africa’s collective effort to strengthen the science, technology, and innovation (STI) systems needed for sustainable development.

It was also a moment to reflect on the legacy of Oliver Reginald Tambo, whose lifelong advocacy for education, collaboration, and self-determination continues to inspire Africa’s pursuit of scientific excellence anchored in social and economic transformation.

The ORTARChI

ORTARChI supports the establishment of research chairs at African universities. Each chair promotes research excellence in areas vital to sustainable development. The initiative focuses on long-term investments in research infrastructure and capacity.

A total of ten O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs have been established to date. Each chair is hosted by a university in a different African country. These include Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and South Africa.

Each research chair is funded for one five-year term and valued at approximately US$1 million. The funding covers staffing, research costs, and postgraduate student support. This strategic investment enables the development of local knowledge systems and leadership in research.

ORTARChI is funded through a partnership between South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF), its Department of Science and Innovation, the Oliver & Adelaide Tambo Foundation, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

The initiative aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) 2024.

The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), which works to strengthen the capacities of Science Granting Councils across Africa, supports ORTARChI.

Through its linkages with SGCI, ORTARChI is reinforcing national and regional science systems, promoting better governance of research funding, stronger partnerships between councils and universities, and more coherent policy frameworks for innovation-driven growth.

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Published on 12 November 2025