MUK don calls for community need-driven research

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Experts have stressed that partnerships to strengthen knowledge systems in Africa is critical for ensuring science addresses local problems.

Speaking at the Partnerships for Stronger Knowledge Systems in Africa (KNOSA) East Africa Learning Forum at Makerere University on July 9th and 10th, Dr Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean of the School of Public Health, said, “the reason we do science is that science must solve problems. If we generate evidence and it stops with us, or if we simply publish, that’s not desirable.”

She said that for science to drive change, it is essential to engage with users and understand what they need to know, so that research can be aligned to those local needs. She added that it is also important to continue working with them throughout the entire value chain of generating research or innovations to ensure they remain relevant.

We want to move away from sitting into the universities and generating questions and then just go take the answers to them, which might not be appropriate.

Wanyenze cautioned against the traditional approach where researchers design studies in universities and later deliver findings to communities without first appreciating what those communities need.

She recognised successes where some scientists are taking their work into the field to shape real-world solutions.

Prof. Freddie Ssengooba of Makerere’s Department of Health Policy, Planning, and Management stressed that solving problems requires looking across the entire value chain from policy formulation to action on the ground. “Research shouldn’t stop at innovation alone but must explore how to carry that innovation all the way to solving a problem,” he said.

KNOSA consists of members from Uganda, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Makerere University vice-chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe pointed to the university’s efforts in translating research into commercial products.

“We train students, staff and even innovators from outside Makerere University, like those from Katwe working on electric motorcycles. We help them improve their products and processes so they can strengthen their businesses,” he said.

Nawangwe added that partnerships like KNOSA bring together researchers across Africa, enabling them to achieve more collectively than individual universities could alone.

Dr Kumanan Rasanathan, the executive director of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, called for generating knowledge that meets the needs of policymakers, implementers, and communities’ knowledge that speaks to the concerns.  “This institution has been leading on health policy and research to make a difference in this country.