IASPharma 2025 – Beyond Participation
The Impact Africa Summit (IAS) 2025, hosted by Xcene Research, was more than a conference; it was a watershed moment. A declaration of a new scientific destiny for the continent.
Under the powerful theme, “Integrating African Voices,” the Summit brought together scientists, clinicians, policymakers, and industry leaders with one unifying purpose; to ensure Africa not only participates in global science but leads it.
As part of our ‘Beyond the Summit’ series, we revisit the profound opening remarks by our CEO, Adebukunola Telufusi, whose vision set the stage for a transformation that must happen now.
From Data Extraction Site to Global Engine
For too long, the narrative of African healthcare innovation has been restrictive. As our CEO, Adebukunola Telufusi noted, “Africa has often been viewed primarily as a location for sample collection, patient recruitment, and observational studies; a site for data extraction, rather than a source of groundbreaking science.”
“This must change, and it must change now,” Adebukunola declared.
The IAS 2025 sub-theme, Strengthening Capacity in Clinical Trials through Local Engagement and Global Partnership, captures the urgency of this moment. It is a unified call for Africa to take ownership of its scientific future, transforming the continent into a global engine of discovery, innovation, and leadership.
Clinical Trials: The Bridge Between Hope and Healing
At the heart of this transformation lies one critical pillar, clinical trials.
These are not merely procedural checkboxes; they are the essential bridge between discovery and cure, between hope and healing. Without them, new therapies cannot be validated, registered, or brought to patients.
Africa is home to over a billion people, the most genetically diverse population on earth. A treasure trove of biological insights that can drive global medical breakthroughs. Yet, we remain profoundly underrepresented in global clinical research. The consequences are stark: medicines are designed, and global standards are set, without the African voice.
We need African-led research—driven by those who truly understand the biology, the cultural context, and the life lived by patients in Africa. We need therapies that are not just globally effective, but specifically relevant to our continent’s unique epidemiology. Imagine the impact on conditions like sickle cell disease, or cancer, where survival rates across Africa remain among the lowest in the world due to a lack of innovative, accessible treatment tested in our populations.
Moving from Isolated Achievement to Sustained Ecosystem
Adebukunola Telufusi’s remarks reminds us to accelerate action. According to her, we have already seen what is possible:
- Nigeria’s Rapid Containment of Ebola in 2014, which became a global model for outbreak response.
- Africa’s Genomic Leadership, exemplified by institutions like the Institute of Genomics and Global Health (formerly ACEGID) and Redeemers University, who demonstrated that African science can set the pace for pathogen genomics.
We must now move from these isolated achievements to systematic capacity, from episodic excellence to sustained ecosystems, and from participation to leadership.
This is where partnership becomes essential. Strengthening clinical trial capacity in Africa is about building:
- Ethically grounded, locally relevant studies.
- Regulatory frameworks that evaluate new therapies with confidence.
- A bench-to-bedside pipeline that empowers universities and biotech labs to generate early-stage discoveries.
The IASPharma Vision
At Xcene Research, we are committed to advancing this agenda. Through Xcene Laboratories and our growing network of clinical sites, partners and business entities, we are building a platform where Nigeria and Africa can stand at the forefront of drug discovery and translational science. Our goal is to enable discoveries made by African scientists to be developed, validated, and commercialized under African leadership.
This vision demands a collective effort. It demands that every scientist, clinician, regulator, industry leader, and policymaker must put their money where their mouth is.
Imagine a future where:
- A biologic therapy for sickle cell disease is discovered in Lagos.
- It is validated in Nairobi and manufactured in Accra.
- African data is at the centre of the Global Treatment Guidelines.
The future is within reach if we build together.
According to Adebukunola, “Africa will no longer wait for inclusion but will lead with innovation. Our scientists will not merely participate in discoveries but will drive them. Our patients will benefit from therapies developed in our own laboratories, by our own hands, and for our own people.”
We invite you to collaborate with us—as partners, mentors, advisors, and innovators—to shape this next generation of African science. Together, we can ensure that the future of global health is only complete when the African voice is truly heard, fully valued, and fully celebrated.
