Senior government officials, scientists, and global research leaders have called for a decisive shift from basic scientific discovery to real-world health solutions, as Nigeria hosted the SPARK Translational Research Boot Camp and Conference 2026 in Abuja. He said Nigeria and Africa are navigating multiple transitions at once, including demographic, epidemiological, economic, technological, and political shifts. He also highlighted what he described as Africa’s paradox: a population of about 1.4 billion people that accounts for only a tiny fraction of global research spending. He rejected the notion that successful translational research was only possible in places like Silicon Valley, citing SPARK’s expansion to Taiwan. If we ignore that, we fail patients.”He also expressed concern over declining global support for health research.

Source: Nigerian Tribune February 02, 2026 18:30 UTC