Prof. Elizabeth Bukusi has called for greater investment in research to improve women’s health.
Prof. Elizabeth Bukusi calls for sustained investment in African innovation to address neglected conditions affecting women throughout their lives.
African governments should commit at least 2 per cent of GDP to research funding, KEMRI scientist Prof. Elizabeth Bukusi has urged. She said stronger investment would support innovation and help address persistent gaps in women’s healthcare.
Bukusi is a senior principal clinical research scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute and LEA-WH Programme Director. She spoke on the sidelines of the Women’s Health Ecosystem Forum, which brings together researchers and other stakeholders.
She said Africa has talented scientists, but limited funding, training and opportunities prevent them from developing practical solutions. Governments therefore need to turn their public funding commitments into sustained support for locally relevant research.
Research funding gaps affect women’s health
Bukusi said commercial priorities partly explain the low investment in women’s health. Drug developers and innovators often favour products for populations with greater purchasing power, she noted.
However, many women on low incomes cannot afford healthcare products and services. This remains a challenge despite their roles as caregivers and contributors to families and communities.
She also urged policymakers to look beyond maternal health when considering women’s needs. Research should cover adolescence, menstruation, the reproductive years and menopause, rather than focus on one stage of life.
Conditions including heavy menstrual bleeding, painful periods, fibroids and endometriosis often receive too little attention, Bukusi said. She challenged the acceptance of menstrual pain as an unavoidable part of women’s lives.
Such problems can also disrupt education and employment. Menstrual pain and undiagnosed conditions can keep girls out of school and cost women working days, limiting economic participation.
Local evidence and practical solutions
Bukusi also called for investment in reliable data on the health challenges women face across Africa. Without that evidence, she warned, policy decisions risk missing important needs and failing to deliver meaningful improvements.
She argued that innovations developed outside Africa do not always suit local conditions. For example, some vaccines need dependable refrigeration and cold-chain infrastructure, which communities may lack where electricity and storage facilities are unavailable.
Stronger local research would therefore help African scientists develop products that reflect communities’ needs and circumstances. Bukusi said financial support must enable researchers to turn their findings into useful healthcare solutions.
The forum seeks to strengthen African researchers’ and leaders’ ability to generate evidence and develop innovations. Its focus includes conditions that have historically attracted limited attention and investment.
Bukusi urged governments to back those efforts with sustained spending, linking better healthcare to women’s quality of life and productivity.
