"What I've realised from this fellowship is that we need to strengthen Africa-Africa collaboration on Lassa fever and mpox."
During the European leg of the fellowship, Dr. Mariam spent time reviewing existing literature and noticed a pattern: West-African countries such as Sierra Leone have long collaborated with European partners such as Germany on Lassa fever, a disease predominantly found in West-Africa. East African fellows are studying mpox and collaborating with their own European partners. Even though they are working on different pathogens African researchers would benefit greatly from collaborating with each other and sharing research findings. “Everybody is doing different things in their own little corners”, she said.
A vivid contrast emerged when she witnessed how colleagues from Radboud University Medical Centre responded with far-flung collaborators to the recent Hantavirus outbreak. They immediately mobilised their international network, reaching out to experts from Brazil and Italy to exchange knowledge and experience. “That is not very common in our part of the world” she noted.
When asked how the fellowship has changed her views on translational research in health sciences in Africa, Dr. Mariam was candid: her institution simply does not have the infrastructure needed to support the full pathway from discovery to application. "People do science, but they don't think outside of the box in terms of translational research because we don't have the infrastructure." Changing this, she stressed, requires intentional dialogue with university leaders and policymakers. Researchers must be equipped and encouraged to collaborate with partners from outside of Nigeria if they are to develop innovations such as diagnostic kits. “I thought it was just getting to the lab, putting it together, and then it’s just out there. But I realised that I need so much more. If I don’t collaborate with people outside of Nigeria, it’s not going to be possible.”
Beyond practical skills, building a research network became one of the most valuable aspects of her fellowship. She has already begun discussions with colleagues at the University of Ibadan to establish a collaboration. Fellows were also encouraged by the supervisors at Radboud University University Medical Centre to start drafting new proposals that could spark future joint projects. “It’s not just talk, it is action, encouragement and the willingness to work together,” she noted.
Dr. Mariam also highlighted the financial constraints that shape research training in Nigeria. Without grant funding, both students and supervisors must pay for research expenses themselves. As a result, she must design student projects carefully, ensuring they remain “meaningful but inexpensive.”
Her visit to the University of Ibadan offered a glimpse of what is possible. There, she learned about innovative, low-cost in-house diagnosis techniques that use locally produced consumables. This could be useful for developing a practical, locally produced alternative to expensive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) kits imported from abroad. And cost is only part of the challenge caused by imports. Procurement delays for reagents can stretch for weeks or months, jeopardising project timelines. “The procurement process is long and cumbersome,” she said. “But with these simple reagents, we can get them locally in Ghana and the work can be done without any delays.”
Meet Dr. Mariam
Dr. Mariam Kehinde Sulaiman coordinates the Molecular Diagnostic and Research Laboratory and is involved in viral diagnostics, molecular epidemiology, and infectious disease surveillance. She completed her PhD at the University of Surrey and has since been actively involved in research and postgraduate supervision focused on improving diagnostic capacity and outbreak preparedness in resource-limited settings.
Translational research project: Developing a locally producible diagnostic kit for Lassa fever
Host institutions
- University of Ibadan – supervisor: Dr. Adeola Fowotade
- Radboud University – supervisors: Prof. Benjamin Mordmüller, Prof. Marien De Jonge & Prof. Quirijn de Mast
- Pompeu Fabra University – supervisor: Prof. Andreas Meyerhans
- University of Bern – supervisor: Dr. Phaedra Simitsek
About the AU-EU Health Partnership
The AU-EU Health Partnership is a broad coalition from Africa and Europe working together to strengthen health systems, improve health security, and increase access to pharmaceuticals in Africa. Encompassing myriad projects and partners at the continental, regional, and country levels, the initiative is making critical contributions to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages (SDG 3). Health is also one of the pillars of the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, which aims to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.
The partnership benefits from coordinated implementation and focuses on five interconnected themes:
· Manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines, and health technologies (MAV+)
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
- Sustainable health security using a "One Health" approach (HSOH)
- Digital health for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage (DH)
- Support for public health institutes (PHI)
Team Europe actors include the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control as well as EU Member States including Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.