Developing capacities to strengthen ethical review in West Africa

On Monday, 20th May 2024, WANETAM commenced a five-day training on research ethics in Lome, Togo. Bringing together 18 participants from across West Africa, the training aimed at developing review capacities and capabilities of ethics review boards and committees within the WANETAM Network, harmonising policies and procedures and supporting member institutions to effectively address ethical issues especially during pandemics.

Directed by Elizabeth Stanley Batchilly, WANETAM’s clinical trials management working groud lead and the Head of Governance and Research Support Services at the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the training will boost participants’ understanding of research ethics to better support medical research including clinical trials conducted by their institutions and other institutions across the sub-region.

According to Housseini Dolo, a Professor of Epidemiology and Research Ethics at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali, the training provided an excellent platform for learning and strengthening his leadership in the field of ethics in West Africa. “This training has helped me explore new areas of research ethics, including understanding ethics within an African context and developing ethical capacity. Additionally, the training has allowed me to identify challenges related to the ethical assessment of biomedical research proposals through learning and sharing experiences from various African contexts” he added.

For Sainabou Njie, an Ethics Administrator at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, the skills she has developed through this training will help her in better performing her functions and supporting her institution. “The training has deepened my understanding of ethical principles in a West African context, ensuring that I can effectively support the MRC Unit The Gambia’s joint Ethics Committee with the Government of The Gambia, in reviewing research proposals, while improving my ability to identify potential ethical issues, streamline documentation processes, and enhance communication between researchers and the Committee” she highlighted.

Supported by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the research ethics training is part of WANETAM’s broader mission of developing individual, institution, national and regional capacities for the conduct of clinical trials and other scientific research in West Africa, targeted at addressing poverty-related diseases.