By Patience Loum
Scientists, professors and medical researchers from 12 different countries across Africa are currently attending a three-day meeting at the Medical Research Council Gambia in Fajara to discuss the development of a new medical approach using antimicrobial drugs to help provide solutions to diseases in Africa.
Speaking ahead of the three-day workshop, Martin Antonio, a professor of molecule and microbiology in global health, said: “We need to know the type of bacteria that are circulating in Africa so that we can target drugs. We cannot use data from Europe or America because the pathogens are different. This is an African problem, so we need to target bacteria in Africa to develop on new drug discovery.”
The event was also graced by the British High Commissioner to The Gambia, Sharon Wardle who expressed appreciation to the British government for funding such research.
“I just found that one of the key tasks of the Medical Research Council’s strategy is about widening and diversifying the research phase to address changing needs, taking into consideration of low income countries and working partnerships to help maximise and develop sustainable and efficient research capacity which I think speaks to a height of why we are all gathered here today,” the High Commissioner said.
“Scientific research across the disciplines is one important way that we feel we can work together on to help achieve this,” she added.
Other key speakers included different stakeholders from across the African sub region and also the office of the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.
