Africa Clinical Research Network Podcast

Send us Fan Mail The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the DRC has surpassed 7,000 cases, and this isn't the Ebola virus we've dealt with before. It requires entirely new vaccines, new interventions, and a fundamentally different approach. In this episode, ACRN CEO Dr. Tariro Makadzange, MD (Harvard), DPhil (Oxford), Infectious Disease Physician, Viral Immunologist, Stanford Clinical Assistan...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 1 of the PVAC Series we heard why Nigeria built PVAC. Now we get into how it works, starting with clinical trials. Dr. Wilfred Gurupira talks with Muhammad Balarabe, Ecosystem Enablement Team Lead at PVAC, about why clinical trials matter well beyond labs and pharma. For patients they're a way to access new medicines, and for the economy they bring in investment an...

Send us Fan Mail Are clinical trials part of a global industry? And if so, who's really benefiting? In this episode, Dr Wilfred Gurupira sits down with Dr Huwaida Bulhan, a physician and public health specialist who has spent over 15 years running clinical trials across sub-Saharan Africa. Together, they unpack why the $60 billion clinical trials industry has historically left Africa at the m...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when Africa's largest country decides it can no longer outsource its health future? In this episode, Dr Wilfred Gurupira sits down with Dr Abdu Mukhtar, National Coordinator at PVAC (Nigeria's Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain), to explore why Nigeria created PVAC and what it's designed to solve. They unpack the strategic...

Send us Fan Mail When the Aid Runs Out: Who Will Fund Africa’s Health Future? As external health assistance declines and debt pressures national budgets, a critical question is emerging: who will finance Africa’s health future? In this episode of the ACRN Health Podcast , Wilfred Gurupura speaks with Hon. Modou Lamin B. Bah , Chairperson of the Network of African Parliamentary Committees of Health...

Optimising Regulation and Ethics in Clinical Research: Building Faster, Smarter Trial Systems in Africa What happens before the first participant is ever enrolled in a clinical trial? Behind every breakthrough treatment lies months of regulatory reviews, ethics approvals, contracts, site preparation, and countless behind-the-scenes processes that determine how quickly new medicines reach the peopl...

Ebola, Diagnostics, and Africa’s Scientific Future: Dr. Tariro Makadzange on the Bundibugyo Outbreak A new Ebola outbreak in Central Africa is raising urgent questions about disease preparedness, diagnostic capacity, vaccine development, and Africa’s ability to respond to emerging health threats. In this episode of the ACRN Health Podcast, Dr. Wilfred Gurupira sits down with Dr. Tariro Makadzange,...

In this episode of The ACRN Health Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Huwaida Bulhan — physician, public health expert— for a powerful conversation on “Clinical Trials as a Global Industry: Who Benefits and How?” Together, we unpack the realities behind the global clinical trials ecosystem, a market worth more than $60 billion, and ask the difficult but necessary questions:  Who truly benefits from cli...

In this episode of the ACRN Health Podcast, host Dr Wilfred Gurupira convenes a roundtable discussion with Prof Collen Masimirembwa (AiBST) and Prof Brighton Samatanga (The Biotech Institute) to explore how Africa can transition from participating in clinical trials to building a sustainable, homegrown life sciences industry. The conversation examines the structural, scientific, and economic found...

In this special anniversary episode of the ACRN Health Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Andrew Kambugu, Executive Director of the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University, Uganda, for a powerful conversation on the future of clinical research in Africa. Drawing from over two decades of experience, Dr. Kambugu unpacks why clinical research is not just important—but essential—for Afri...

In this episode, we explore the critical role of data in shaping stronger, more responsive health systems across Africa. From research and innovation to real-world implementation, we unpack how data is not just collected—but translated into decisions that impact communities, policies, and outcomes. We also reflect on the challenges of data access, equity, and representation, and what it will take...

Africa is home to nearly 20% of the world’s population and the greatest human genetic diversity on the planet, yet less than 4% of global clinical trials take place on the continent. In this inaugural episode of the ACRN Podcast, Dr. Tariro Makadzange (ACRN CEO) and Dr Wilfred Gurupira (ACRN Site Networks & Partnerships Lead) explore why clinical research is the foundation of modern medicine—a...