Table 4.
Actions for local and international levels to reinforce governance of R4H
| Interventions by African governments | Number of countries |
|---|---|
| Establish NHRS structures and build institutional capacity to govern, coordinate and oversee health research, including for better management of human, material and financial resources | 30 |
| Develop/launch a national policy on health research | 14 |
| Ensure observance of ethics and good practices, including regulation of research through the national ethics review committee and institutional ethics review committees | 9 |
| Establish a national health research forum or committee to support health research | 8 |
| Develop specific national legislation for health research | 8 |
| Promote multisectoral and multidisciplinary health research and promote community participation in health development research | 6 |
| Build networks of researchers and research centres and strengthen partnerships between research institutes and universities with faculties of health sciences | 3 |
| Define a national priority research agenda for the coming 3 years to ensure that research undertaken is harmonized and addresses tangible prioritized country needs and challenges | 3 |
| Support the development of standard operating procedures and guidance reference documents | 2 |
| Decentralize research for health activities to the counties, including hiring research focal persons at the decentralized or devolved levels | 1 |
| Establish a system for monitoring and evaluating research | 1 |
| International community interventions | Number of countries |
| Facilitate networking of institutions for health research (for example, for undertaking multi-country studies), international cooperation and partnership; advocate for formal partnerships between universities and research institutions | 12 |
| Provide technical support for the development and implementation of national health research policy and strategic plan, and ensure externally driven research is aligned with national research priorities | 10 |
| Provide technical support for the development of legislation on health research | 7 |
| Support the development of the national health research agenda or priority list and their alignment, and cooperate with researchers and other partners to implement and evaluate them | 6 |
| Support country and intercountry research collaboration and coordination | 4 |
| Provide technical support for establishment of a national committee of ethics and training of its members | 2 |
| Support capacity strengthening for laboratories for their accreditation through providing equipment, infrastructure and logistics support | 2 |
| Develop internationally recognized regulatory standards, policies and guidelines and foster comparable research in health | 2 |
| Support evaluation of research and development | 1 |