A new regional investment is set to strengthen research and service delivery for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with a sharp focus on cardiometabolic diseases across East Africa.
The diseases, which include diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and kidney diseases, continue to pose a growing public health threat.
Currently, NCDs account for an estimated 30 to 45 per cent of all deaths across East Africa, with CMDs driving a significant share of this burden.
In response, the Novo Nordisk Foundation has entered into a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Non-communicable Diseases Alliance of Kenya (NCD Alliance of Kenya) and the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation).
The collaboration will support a 12-month initiative focused on research agenda-setting and capacity mapping to prioritise key knowledge gaps in CMD service delivery.
The initiative seeks to strengthen the pathway from research to action.
It will also support national research priority setting, identify knowledge and practice gaps in CMD service delivery at the primary healthcare level and map institutional and technical capacity for CMD implementation research across East Africa.
“Africa’s NCD burden is intensified by a persistent gap between research and implementation,” chief scientific officer at Science for Africa Evelyn Gitau said.
“This initiative focuses on identifying service delivery bottlenecks and strengthening regional research capacity so that African-led science can more effectively inform policy, practice and investment.”
At the centre of the programme is the development of a nationally endorsed NCD Research Agenda for Kenya, with a strong focus on CMDs.
The agenda will be shaped through broad consultations involving policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations, patient advocates and people with lived experience.
The Ministry of Health has emphasised the importance of ensuring that research investments align with national health priorities.
“Kenya’s response to non communicable diseases must be guided by evidence that reflects our realities and priorities,” acting head of division of non communicable diseases at MoH Gladwell Gathecha said.
“This initiative enables us to lead the development of a nationally endorsed NCD Research Agenda that aligns research investment with the needs of our health system, strengthening primary care and accelerating progress towards quality, equitable and sustainable NCD prevention and control.”
Civil society organisations are also playing a central role in shaping the agenda setting process, with a focus on inclusion, accountability and health equity.
“Effective NCD research must be inclusive, accountable and grounded in lived experience while applying an equity lens,” the NCD Alliance of Kenya said.
“We are proud to support a consultative process that brings together policymakers, researchers, civil society and persons with lived experience to shape a research agenda that responds to real gaps in care, amplifies community voices and drives action where it matters most,” the executive director of NCD Alliance Kenya Catherine Karekezi said.
The new research agenda is expected to create a clear framework for coordinated investment in NCD and CMD research.
It will also strengthen the translation of evidence into policy and practice, ensuring scientific findings lead to tangible improvements in healthcare delivery.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation, which is supporting the initiative, has underscored the urgency of investing in locally driven, implementation focused research.
“We are excited for this project to be launched and looking forward to seeing the Ministry of Health formulating the NCD research agenda to identify key knowledge gaps, particularly within CMD research,” the director of global and public health at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Mette Ide Davidsen said.
