A flagship Pan-African convening repositioning science as a cultural, political, and economic force shaping Africa's next decade.
Access and download the definitive frameworks issued at the close of the Culture of Science Conference 2026, establishing measurable benchmarks for Africa’s health and science ecosystem.
A five-year framework connecting scientific knowledge to public priorities, domestic investment, and institutional accountability across six transformative Action Paths. Establishes roadmaps leading to the 2028 mid-term review and 2030 targets.
Issued in Nairobi on 10 September 2026 by Chair Mary Muia on behalf of the CHReaD Steering Committee. Outlines urgent continental calls for ring-fenced domestic R&D budgets, AMA regulatory harmonization, and 50% pharmaceutical self-reliance.
The Action Agenda establishes six core operational pathways designed to close the gap between Africa’s high-level science policies and measurable community-level delivery.
Advocating for institutional investment in research data infrastructure, STEM education, and sustainable talent pipelines aligned with national and regional health priorities.
Closing the last-mile delivery gap to ensure existing health technologies reach communities, connecting traditional, community, and formal systems through a unified One Health approach.
Aligning agricultural, nutritional, and ecological research with the everyday realities of smallholder farmers and food producers, investing in resilient climate-smart systems.
Overcoming health commodity import dependency by mobilizing innovation guarantee facilities and regulatory frameworks that allow African manufacturers to reach regional markets.
Building strong partnerships between scientists and African journalists, embedding science in public discourse, and strengthening public trust in health technologies and vaccines.
Replacing donor dependency with domestic public and private financing, ring-fencing national R&D budget lines, and coordinating transparent progress tracking towards 2030.
Browse curated photography capturing high-level dialogues, technical roundtables, youth engagement, and the vibrant fellowship of the Culture of Science 2026 convening in Nairobi.
Reclaiming Africa’s scientific narrative through authentic storytelling, youth leadership, and public engagement. At the Culture of Science Conference 2026, the Africa Voices of Science Forum brought together early-career researchers, science journalists, health advocates, and digital creators to break down silos between laboratories and communities.
Four interconnected priorities that frame every conversation, session, and outcome of the conference.
Innovative models for sustainable domestic R&D investment, philanthropy, sovereign wealth, blended finance, and budget advocacy aligned with AU STI commitments.
Agile, trustworthy governance, crafting and harmonizing regulatory frameworks from ethics review to market approval that safely accelerate scientific progress.
Spanning academia, research infrastructure, applied innovation, and local manufacturing, leveraging AI, genomics, and digital platforms from foundational research to advanced production.
Combating misinformation, fostering science literacy through media and arts, ethically engaging indigenous knowledge holders, and demonstrating science's relevance to everyday life.
Five milestone moments from June through September 2026.
Student-led advocacy on AMR awareness and safe drug disposal across communities.
Submissions open for Africa's 3-Year Health R&D Priorities, all stakeholders invited.
Preparatory convening aligning policymakers and researchers before the main event.
Three engagement zones and plenary sessions defining Africa's health science decade.
A networking and social evening for participants to connect and unwind, with a live band and entertainment.
CHReaD's Science Action Agenda is a collective declaration co-created with researchers, academia advocates, and policymakers of what Africa must do, fund, and build between 2026 and 2029.
Africa accounts for 24% of the global disease burden but less than 1% of global health R&D investment. The Science Action Agenda names the specific structural changes, funding, capacity, access, that will shift this within three years.
Coalition members can shape the agenda directly. Submit priorities, endorse existing ones, or join a working group ahead of the September 2026 launch.
Contribute to the Agenda| Track A | Track B | |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 8 Sep 2026 | Sustainable Financing for Local R&D Govt & Donor Round Table | Africa's One Health: Science Without Communities Doesn't Work |
| Where Money Meets Discovery A Financiers Round Table | Advancing Indigenous Knowledge in Scientific Systems | |
| Faith and Science | Building Markets for African Health Innovation | |
| Clinical Research Sovereignty: From Participants to Principles | ||
| Day 2 9 Sep 2026 | The DVC's Round Table | Education Meets Reality |
| The Future of Education | State of AI for Healthcare | |
| Scaling Local Manufacturing and Innovation | The Future of Health Care (Genomics and Personalized Health Care) | |
| 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Culture of Science Minds & Mixers | ||
| Day 3 10 Sep 2026 | Combating Health and Science Misinformation in the Digital Age (Media Round Table) | Africa Voices of Science Forum (Raising the Voices of African Science) |
| Future of African Commitments | Designing Power: Legacies Beyond Pain | |
| Negotiating the Science Action Agenda | ||
Explore the confirmed speakers and contributors joining the Culture of Science Conference across three days of dialogue, discovery and action.
A relaxed networking and social evening that brings conference participants together to connect, engage, and unwind. Enjoy an evening of good company, a live band, and entertainment as conversations from the day carry on in a warmer, more informal setting.
No single institution builds a Culture of Science alone. Governments, universities, researchers, innovators, financiers, and civil society each carry a vital role in transforming commitments into measurable outcomes by 2030.
By joining the Network, your institution participates in the formulation of the Culture of Science Action Agenda Roadmap, receives annual progress monitoring reports, and takes part in the 2028 Mid-Term Review and 2030 Final Review.
Complete this form to connect with the CHReaD Secretariat and express your institution’s interest.
8–10 Sep · Nairobi, Kenya