Africa Clinical Research Network Podcast

About Africa Clinical Research Network Podcast

The ACRN Podcast is your gateway to Africa-led conversations on clinical research, health innovation, and policy. Hosted by the Africa Clinical Research Network, this series brings together researchers, clinicians, regulators, policymakers, and industry leaders from across the continent to explore how Africa is shaping—and must continue to shape—the future of global clinical research. Each episode features expert insights from African physician-scientists and innovators, discussions on emerging health technologies, policy dialogues influencing Africa’s research ecosystem, and stories that center African leadership in global health. Our goal is to spotlight credible, African-led voices at the intersection of science, policy, and industry, and to advance collaborative, community-driven research. Whether you’re a policymaker, regulator, researcher, funder, or anyone passionate about Africa’s role in global health, this podcast is for you. Expect honest conversations, nuanced perspectives, and a commitment to challenging assumptions—including our own. Stay tuned for our official launch and join us as we elevate Africa’s voice in clinical research!

Publisher

Africa Clinical Research Network

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Feb 2026

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

15 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Financing the Future: From Deals to Delivery, Abuja to Every State | ACRN Health Podcast EP14

   Send us Fan Mail Financing the Future: From Deals to Delivery, Abuja to Every State In the third and final episode of the PVAC Podcast series, we follow the money. Olumuyiwa Lawson (PVAC Healthcare Deals Team Lead) and Dr. Zahra (PVAC Sub-national Team Lead) explain why policy alone can't unlock Nigeria's healthcare sector, and what it actually takes to move investment from Abuja into all 36 states. We cover the real barriers to scale, which are bankability, perceived risk, fragmented suppl...

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Bundibugyo: Africa's Fight Against a New Ebola Threat

   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 Assistant Professor, and TIME100 Health 2026 Honoree, joins Alliance & Partnership Director Dr. Wilfred Gurupir...

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Building Nigeria's Clinical Trials Engine | Muhammad Balarabe | ACRN Health Podcast EP12

   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 and create skilled jobs. In this episode: Why the public should care about clinical trialsWhat PVAC's ...

4. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Who Benefits? Unpacking Africa's Role in the Global Trials Industry | Dr Huwaida Bulhan | ACRN Health Podcast Episode 11

   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 margins, despite the continent carrying 25% of the world's disease burden. From structural barriers and...

5. 

   10 Sept 2026

   Why Nigeria Built PVAC | ACRN Health Podcast EP10

   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 vulnerability of depending on imported medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics, the fragmentation across Nigeria's health value chai...

6. 

   21 Aug 2026

   When the Aid Runs Out: Who Will Fund Africa’s Health Future? | ACRN Health Podcast EP09

   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 and Vice Chairperson of the Health Committee in the Parliament of The Gambia. They explore the political and financ...

7. 

   6 Jul 2026

   Optimising regulation and ethics in research | ACRN Podcast EP08

   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 people who need them. In this episode of the ACRN Health Podcast, host Wilfred Gurupira is joined by D...

8. 

   1 Jul 2026

   ACRN`s IDRL Laboratory & CAP Accreditation | ACRN Podcast EP07

9. 

   29 May 2026

   Ebola Bundibugyo: Africa's Wake-Up Call for Science and Preparedness | ACRN Podcast EP06

   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, CEO of the Africa Clinical Research Network, infectious disease physician, and vaccine immunolog...

10. 

    21 May 2026

    Clinical Trials as a Global Industry Who Benefits and How | ACRN Podcast EP05

    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 clinical research? Why does Africa currently represent only 1% of the global clinical tria...

11. 

    29 Apr 2026

    From Trials to Industry: Building Africa’s Life Sciences Ecosystem | ACRN Podcast EP04

    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 foundations required to build a thriving ecosystem, including: • Clinical research as a foundation ...

12. 

    2 Apr 2026

    Why Clinical Research Matters — and Why Africa Must Be at the Table | ACRN Podcast EP03

    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 Africa’s development. He shares real-world examples of how African-led research has transformed patie...

13. 

    18 Mar 2026

    Data, Sovereignty & Health Advocacy in Africa | ACRN Podcast EP02

    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 to build systems that truly serve African populations. This conversation highlights the growing i...

14. 

    25 Feb 2026

    Introducing the ACRN Podcast

15. 

    24 Feb 2026

    Why Africa Must Lead in Clinical Research | ACRN Podcast EP1

    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—and why Africa’s inclusion is not just a moral imperative, but a scientific and strategic necessit...

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.