Training Epidemiologists and Biostatisticians for West Africa - UAC

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝟭𝟴-𝟮𝟬 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯)

There is a critical need of biostatisticians in West and Central Africa to develop study designs, contribute and apply statistical methods in public health data analyses. Despite recent advances, growth in biostatistics in the region still lags, and collective efforts are needed to push the field forward. With this background, a first workshop titled “Strengthening Biostatistics Resources in sub-Saharan Africa: Networking and Collaborations” was recently organized in The Gambia (August 31-September 1, 2022). At this workshop, some ideas were put in place, and networks and collaborations started. However, there is a need to energize this stepping networking and collaboration among West and Central African researchers and experts to ensure that each and all are working towards improving the expertise, research capacity and resources in Biostatistics in the region.

Taking advantage from the financial support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for the Research Hub on the Socio-ecological modelling of COVID-19 in Africa coordinated by Prof. Romain GLELE KAKAÏ and hosted at the Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d’Estimations Forestières (LABEF) at the University of Abomey-Calavi (one of the 10 beneficiary of the EDCTP2 programme on Capacity development for disease outbreak and epidemic response in sub-Saharan Africa), a second regional workshop was organized in Benin from 18 to 20 December 2023 in Benin on the topic “𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀”. The workshop brought together biostatistics experts from West and Central Africa (Benin, Cape Verde, Cameroon, DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo), Canada, Germany, and the United States of America, as well as young researchers in the early stages of their careers in biostatistics/biomathematics. Over three days, participants examined the state of capacity-building in biostatistics/biomathematics in West and Central Africa, updated their knowledge on recent advances in biostatistics/biomathematics in the region, and set up a consortium to reflect on mobilizing funds to strengthen biostatistics resources in West and Central Africa. The discussions were fruitful and led to several conclusions and recommendations, among which the creation of the “𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘂𝗺 (𝗪𝗲𝘀𝗖𝗔𝗕)” to mobilize funding to advance research in Biostatistics, and training of trainers to fill the shortage of biostatistics specialists in the sub-region (further details here: https://hrh.semca-uac.org/ ).

Fellows (8 men and 7 women) of the “𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁-𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮” (CSA2020E-3131-TEBWA, http://tebwa.labef-uac.org/ ) project funded by the EDCTP2 also attended this workshop. They all joined the WesCAB. This project was implemented by the consortium made of the University of Abomey Calavi (UAC) in partnership with the Benin National Agency of Primary Health Care (ANSSP), and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM, UK). These TEBWA fellows brilliantly completed their master training in Biostatistics and Epidemiology recently. Three of them were awarded scholarships to pursue capacity development in their field of interest (e.g. AI in public health, and advanced statistical epidemiology). One fellow got a DAAD in country/in region scholarship programme for a PhD in Biostatistics at Moi University in Kenya. Furthermore, thanks to the TEBWA project, LSTHM and UAC have strengthened their collaboration, and they are now working on other projects to support some of the TEBWA fellows to pursue their PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

For additional information, please contact the coordinator of the project, Prof Romain Glèlè Kakaï at [email protected].

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗘𝗕𝗪𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽.

Friday 21st June 2024 was the last day of the TEBWA project closing workshop.

We continued with the presentations of the results of research carried out by the TEBWA fellows. Eight TEBWA fellows presented their work which covers various topics such as data quality in measles surveillance systems in sub-Saharan Africa, incidence of measles and associated factors in Niger, preparedness response to Lassa viral haemorrhagic fever in sub-Saharan Africa, the Management of epidemiological data on Ebola haemorrhagic fever in west and central Africa, the modelling of the impact of climate on cholera disease transmission dynamics in Africa, risk perception and impacts of non-conventional medicine on COVID-19 in West Africa, and machine learning based modelling of Ebola virus disease and Malaria.

During this second day, the participants also had the honour to hear Dr Nuraan Fakier, Project Officer at the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) who joined the workshop online. She recalled the context of the EPI fellowship programme that funded the TEBWA project through the EDCTP2 ( https://www.edctp.org/.../capacity-development-for.../ ) and shared new opportunities for the TEBWA fellows, especially women in the frame of the new EDCTP3 ( https://globalhealth-edctp3.eu/funding/calls-proposals ) which started recently.
After the presentations and discussions about the research carried out by the TEBWA fellows, the participants followed a lecture by Prof Ngianga-Bakwin KANDALA (Western University, Western Centre for Public Health, and Family Medicine, Canada) on “Bayesian Diseases mapping of Global Public Health issues: what can we learn from complex household surveys from Africa”. He started by the history of medical geography to disease mapping, and presented the theoretical framework of the Bayesian analysis, and then gave examples of application in diseases modelling focusing on HIV/AIDS in Zambia.

In the last session five speakers namely Prof Glèlè Kakaï Romain (TEBWA project Coordinator), Prof. Houinato Dismand (TEBWA project staff), Prof Vigan Jacques (TEBWA project staff), and two representatives of the 15 TEBWA fellows in Biostatistics and Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions shared a panel discussion on the project perspectives. The panel discussion was very productive and full of emotions, advice, and we look to the future with great optimism regarding the management of epidemics in West Africa.

We are grateful to all participants especially our expert guests, namely:
• Prof Ngianga- Bakwin KANDALA, Western University, Western Centre for Public Health, and Family Medicine, Canada
• Prof. Ezra Gayawan, Department of Statistics, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria
• Prof. Bakare Emmanuel Afolabi, Federal University Oye Ekiti Ekiti State, Nigeria
• Prof. Justice Moses K. Aheto, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana

Our gratitude to the EDCTP2 for the support to the TEBWA project. It has been a great adventure which does not stop, but rather continuous. So please keep connected!

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗘𝗕𝗪𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽

Thursday 20th June 2024 was the day 1 of the TEBWA project closing workshop.

The opening ceremony was marked by several speeches namely from the project coordinator (Prof. Romain Glèlè Kakaï), the Honorary Director of the Doctoral School in Health Sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi, and the Director of the Doctoral School of Agronomic and water Sciences (Prof Marcel Houinato). All speakers recognized the merits of the TEBWA project, the immense support of the EDCTP2, and wishes that this collaboration continues.

The achievements, lessons learned, and perspectives of the project were presented as well as the feedback from TEBWA fellows about the project implementation, the support they received, the impact of the project on their capacity, the project activities, and suggestions for improvement.
Then seven out of the fifteen TEBWA fellows presented the results of their research which covered statistical and mathematical modelling as well as meta-analysis on diseases such as COVID-19, Lassa Fever, Cholera, and Malaria. They received comments from experts in Epidemiology and Biostatistics to improve their manuscripts that are currently being prepared.

In the last session, the TEBWA fellows and participants were trained on “Geospatial and web-based mapping of health outcomes with R”. This training was led by Prof. Justice Moses K. Aheto who is Associate Professor at the Department of Biostatistics (University of Ghana, Accra).

𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨̂𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐮 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 (𝐓𝐄𝐁𝐖𝐀)

Le Laboratoire de Biomathématique et d’Estimation Forestière (LABEF) en collaboration avec ses partenaires organise du 20 au 21 Juin 2024 à Millenium Popo Beach Hotel, Agoué, République du Bénin, l'atelier de clôture du projet TEBWA

Ce projet soutenu par l’EDCTP2 ( https://www.edctp.org/projects-2/ ) vise à renforcer la capacité des chercheurs Ouest Africains en Epidémiologie et Biostatistiques pour efficacement répondre à l’émergence des maladies infectieuses.

Le projet TEBWA est coordonné par l’Université d’Abomey-Calavi (à travers le LABEF et le LEMACEN - Laboratoire d'Epidémiologie des Maladies Chroniques et Neurologiques), en partenariat avec la London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM, UK), et l’Agence Nationale des Soins de Santé Primaires (ANSSP). Le projet a formé huit étudiants en Master Biostatistique et sept étudiants en Epidémiologie et Interventions en Santé Publique.

Cet atelier de clôture a pour but de :
• Discuter des succès et des leçons apprises du projet
• Partager les résultats des recherches conduites par les étudiants de Master formés dans le cadre du projet, et
• Engager les parties prenantes pour la durabilité du projet
L'atelier se tiendra de façon hybride (en ligne et en présentiel), et connaitra la participation des étudiants soutenus dans le cadre du projet (venus du Bénin, Ghana, Togo, Mali, Libéria, Guinée, Niger, et Côte d’Ivoire), et d’éminents chercheurs venant du Canada, RD Congo, Ghana, Nigéria, et Bénin.
Restez connecté pour les nouvelles sur cet atelier.
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𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐄𝐁𝐖𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚

The Laboratoire de Biomathématique et d’Estimation Forestière (LABEF) in collaboration with his partners is organising from June 20th to 21st 2024 at Millenium Popo Beach Hotel, Agoué, Benin Republic, the closing ceremony of the TEBWA project.

This project, supported by EDCTP2 ( https://www.edctp.org/projects-2/ ), aims to enhance West Africa research capacity in epidemiology and biostatistics to respond effectively towards diseases outbreaks and emerging (and re-emerging) infectious diseases.

TEBWA project is coordinated by the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin (through LABEF and LEMACEN-Laboratoire d'Epidémiologie des Maladies Chroniques et Neurologiques), in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM, UK) and Benin National Agency for Primary Health Care (ANSSP). The project has trained eight Master’s students in Biostatistics and seven students in Epidemiology and public health interventions.
The objectives of this closing ceremony are to:
- Summarize the achievements and lessons learnt from the project.
- Share the results of the research conducted by the Master’s students trained within the project, and
- Engage stakeholders on the sustainability of the project.

This seminar will be hybrid (online and in-person) and will involve the participation of the students funded within the framework of the project (from Benin, Ghana, Togo, Mali, Liberia, Guinea, Niger, and Cote d’Ivoire) as well as well-established researchers from Canada, RD Congo, Ghana, Nigeria and Benin.
Keep connected for updates about this workshop.

Thursday 9th was the day 3 of the 11th EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, https://www.edctp.org/ ) Forum, currently ongoing in Paris (7th to 10th November).

This day 3 was marked by a great talk of Professor Abdoulaye Djimdé on the topic “Africa needs stronger institutions: what is making it happen?” during the plenary session. Professor Abdoulaye Djimdé is an outstanding malaria researcher in his own right. He has been instrumental in strengthening research capacity both in Mali and in surrounding countries. During his presentation, he outlined his philosophy on the best ways to strengthen institutional research capacity.

There were several parallel sessions and scientific symposia. TEBWA fellows attending the forum on-site or online enjoyed the presentations and discussions during these parallel sessions and scientific symposia. They felt gratitude to EDCTP2 for allowing them to attend this forum that is expanding their knowledge and network.

Wednesday 8th was the day 2 of the 11 th EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership) Forum in Paris from 7th to 10th November. There were insightful discussions on Coinfections and co-morbidities which are common in sub-Saharan Africa and creating challenges but also opportunities for more coordinated care.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim also gave an inspiring keynote address where he described how a discovery made in Africa has led to a possible intervention for use in Africa – and discussed what it will it take for this to be the norm rather than the exception.

On this day 2, one of the TEBWA fellows, namely SESAY Marwan from Liberia presented during poster sessions his research work on Machine Learning technics used for malaria detection and outbreak predictions.

Looking forwards for day 3

Our 15 fellows accompanied by members of the project coordination team are currently attending (4 in-person and 11 online) the 11th EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership) Forum in Paris. This forum also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the EDCTP. About 1 000 participants from more than 40 countries, most from Sub-Sahara Africa are attending this forum.

This first day was marked by the official opening ceremony. Our fellows had opportunity to meet their peers from the other countries and participated in the discussion on challenges for young women to reconciling professional, research, and family life. Experienced women researchers provide numerous advice to them and stress on the prominent role of mentoring and support from families, academic staffs, and supervisors.

The 11th EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, https://www.edctp.org/ ) Forum in Paris started yesterday (Tuesday 07th November 2023). About 1 000 participants from more than 40 countries, most from Sub-Sahara Africa are attending this four-day forum (7-10 November).

A side meeting of the EDCTP-Africa CDC Master’s Fellows in Epidemiology & Biostatistics was held on this first day.

The TEBWA project coordinator 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗟𝗘𝗟𝗘 𝗞𝗔𝗞𝗔𝗜 participated in the first panel discussion with his peers (𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶 𝗞𝗼𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮, coordinator of PREP-EPID project https://www.edctp.org/our-work/edctp-and-africa-cdc-epi-biostat-fellows/prep-epid/ , 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗞𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮, coordinator of the MSc EpiBiostat project https://www.edctp.org/our-work/edctp-and-africa-cdc-epi-biostat-fellows/msc-epibiostat/ , and 𝗗𝗿 𝗘𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁
𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘂, coordinator of the TEDOER project https://www.edctp.org/our-work/edctp-and-africa-cdc-epi-biostat-fellows/tedoer/ ) on the topic “Strategies for engagement with
National Public Health Institutes and retention of trained epidemiologists”. This discussion was moderated by 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗲𝗿 and 𝗧𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗵 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗲 from EDCTP secretariat.

Different strategies were proposed and discussed. The prominent role of national incentives and collaboration with national institutions were emphasized. The facilitation role of Africa CDC and EDCTP was also highlighted.

𝗧𝗘𝗕𝗪𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀, 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘅𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲

(𝗟𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗘𝗕𝗪𝗔, 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝘂 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲́𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗲́𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲́𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿 𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘃𝗲́𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗿)

TEBWA fellows, members of LABEF and foreign students in different training programmes are very committed and hardworking people. After a period of hard work, they gathered at Cotonou Beach for a relaxation time. Far from their books and computers, they had fun, danced, socialized, and enjoyed special dishes made in Benin. It was on December 28th, 2022.

(Les boursiers du projet TEBWA, les membres du LABEF et les étudiants étrangers inscrits dans les différents programmes du LABEF se sont retrouvés à la plage de Cotonou pour une période de relaxation après une période de dur labeur. Loin de leurs livres, cahiers et ordinateurs, ils se sont retrouvés dans un endroit convivial pour danser, s’amuser, socialiser et savourer les mets locaux du Bénin. C’était le 28 décembre 2022)

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐞̀𝐥𝐞̀ 𝐊𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐢̈, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐄𝐁𝐖𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚.

Professor Romain Glèlè Kakai is a Full Professor of Biostatistics and Forest Estimations at the University of Abomey-Calavi. He is the PI of the EDCTP2-funded project “Training Epidemiologists and Biostatisticians for enhanced response to disease outbreak and epidemic in West-Africa (Acronym: TEBWA)” CSA2020E-3131 — TEBWA, 2021 – 2024; http://tebwa.labef-uac.org/

As a reminder, WHO is starting in 2023 vaccination against malaria in the 117 countries where malaria is endemic. There has been a request for proposals ( https://www.vaccineimpact.org/2022-11-23-rfp/ ) from GAVI (Global Vaccine Alliance) and WHO through VIMC (Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium) for the development of a mathematical model and associated computer code to predict the number of malaria cases, the number of severe cases, the number of hospitalisations, the number of deaths due to malaria and the number of days of physical inactivity due to malaria, all for each age cohort from 0 to 100 years for each of the 117 countries in the world and for each of the years from 2023 to 2100, taking into account the density of mosquitoes, the number of bites per person per year, the natural mortality rate, the birth rate, the population growth rate, the rate immigration and emigration, etc and under different malaria vaccination scenarios (Vaccine coverage, % vaccine efficacy, age cohorts to be vaccinated, booster vaccination 2 years later (booster), etc.) and the epidemiology of malaria in each country.

Prof. Romain Glèlè Kakai proposed a hybrid mathematical model that has been selected by the VIMC and he has been appointed a group Lead on Malaria modelling. It should be noted that a total of 3 models were selected. A model from an Australian and another from a Swiss. More details can be found on this link: https://www.vaccineimpact.org/2023-05-16-eight-new-groups/

He also participated to secure several other collaborative fundings aiming at building capacity of African youth in Biostatistics and infectious disease modelling in Africa. For example, he is participating to (i) the Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium DELTAS Africa II that received a Pan-African grant (funded by AU) for Advanced Biostatistics training; the (ii) the “One Health Project and Health Risk Analysis (OHARIS)” in Benin, and the (iii) INSPIRE-UAC (INnovation Santé Publique Internationale Recherche Enseignement).

Our warmest congratulations to Prof. Romain Glèlè Kakai for these milestones and best wishes.

The project aims to train 15 Epidemiologists and Biostatisticians for enhanced response to disease outbreak and epidemics in West-Africa. The project is coordinnated by the University of Abomey – Calavi in partnership with the LSHTM (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/). It is funded by EDCTP2 (https://www.edctp.org/) with the financial support of the European Union.