Health Research Governance in Africa

The globalisation of research has resulted in the increased location of research involving humans in developing countries. Countries in Africa, along with China and India have seen research grow significantly. With emerging infectious diseases, such as Ebola and Zika emphasising the risk of public health crises throughout the world, a further increase in health research, including clinical research in developing countries, often the sites of these diseases, becomes inevitable. This growth raises questions about domestic regulation and governance of health research.

This book presents a comprehensive and systemic view of the regulation of research involving humans in African countries. It employs case studies from four countries in which research activities continue to rise and which have taken steps to regulate health research activity: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt. The book examines the historical and political contexts of these governance efforts. It describes the research context, some of the research taking place, and the current challenges. It also looks at the mechanisms ranging from new ethical guidelines, legal frameworks, the strengthening of existing regulatory agencies and the professional regulatory bodies. The book analyses the adequacy of current governance arrangements and puts forward recommendations to improve the emerging governance systems for health research in African and other developing countries. The book will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers working in the area of health research, biomedical ethics, health law and regulation in developing countries.