Governance – APCC Africa

APCC operates under a transparent, inclusive governance structure that balances scientific leadership, member accountability, and participant voice. Our governance model ensures that decisions are made collaboratively, with strong representation from African cohort leaders and meaningful input from the communities we serve.

Governance Bodies

Members Council

Highest Decision-Making Body

The Members Council is the highest decision-making body of APCC. Each full member cohort nominates one representative to serve on the Council.

Composition & Meetings: One representative per full member cohort, meets annually during the Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Key Responsibilities: Approve strategic direction and research priorities, elect Steering Committee members, and hold leadership accountable

Steering Committee

Strategic Oversight

The Steering Committee provides strategic oversight and direction for APCC. It is responsible for guiding programmes, evaluating membership applications, and ensuring alignment with continental priorities.

Current Status: APCC is currently led by an Interim Steering Committee (ISC) of 15 members — elected and co-opted representatives from across Africa

Key Responsibilities: Set strategic direction between AGMs, oversee research programmes, evaluate membership applications, and approve partnerships

Secretariat

Operational Support

The Secretariat manages day-to-day operations, coordination, and communications for APCC. It is hosted by the Science for Africa Foundation under a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Hosting: Science for Africa Foundation (SFA) provides administrative, governance, and operational support under a formal MoU

Key Responsibilities: Coordinate meetings and communications, support workstreams and committees, manage membership processes, and organize Annual General Meetings

Participant Forum

Community Voice

Cohort participants are the heart of APCC. The Participant Forum is a dedicated platform at the Annual Meeting where representatives of cohort participants provide perspectives on research priorities and ethical considerations.

Composition & Meetings: Participant representatives nominated by member cohorts, convenes during the Annual General Meeting

Key Role: Provide input on research priorities, advise on ethical considerations, and ensure community perspectives inform APCC strategy

Independent Advisory Council

Expert Advice

An external body of international experts that provides independent scientific and strategic advice to the Steering Committee, ensuring APCC aligns with global best practices.

Composition: International experts in longitudinal research, ethics, health systems, and data governance

Key Role: Provide independent scientific advice, review research strategies and priorities, and promote alignment with global standards

Governance Principles

Transparency

All governance processes, decisions, and financial matters are documented and accessible to members.

Inclusivity

Representation from diverse cohorts, regions, and career stages ensures broad perspectives.

Accountability

Leadership is accountable to the Members Council and reports regularly on progress and finances.

Ethics-Centred

Ethical considerations are central to all decisions, with strong emphasis on participant protection.

Data Governance & Stewardship

APCC operates on a data stewardship model, not a data ownership model. This means cohorts retain full ownership and control of their data, while APCC facilitates access, harmonization, and collaboration in ways that respect data sovereignty and participant rights.

Data Ownership

Cohort-Controlled

Each cohort retains full ownership of its data
Cohorts decide who can access their data and under what conditions
No data transfer or pooling without explicit cohort consent
Cohorts can withdraw from APCC at any time
Participants' rights and informed consent are respected

APCC's Role as Steward

Facilitator & Coordinator

Develop common data standards and metadata frameworks
Facilitate secure data access through Trusted Research Environments (TREs)
Coordinate multi-cohort research collaborations
Ensure ethical review and approval processes
Promote transparency and benefit sharing
Maintain a cohort capability matrix and metadata catalog

Core Data Governance Principles

Sovereignty: African cohorts control their own data

Security: Data is protected through secure infrastructure

Transparency: Clear processes for data access and use

Equity: Fair benefit sharing and authorship practices

Data Access & Collaboration Pathways

APCC offers multiple pathways for researchers, policymakers, and partners to access cohort data and collaborate on research projects. All pathways prioritize ethical review, cohort consent, and equitable partnerships.

01

Explore Cohort Capabilities

Browse the APCC Cohort Directory to identify cohorts with relevant data, populations, or research domains.

Visit Cohort Directory

02

Submit a Research Proposal

Researchers can submit proposals for multi-cohort studies or request access to specific cohort datasets through the APCC Secretariat.

Contact Secretariat

03

Ethical Review & Approval

All proposals undergo ethical review by relevant cohort ethics committees and/or APCC's ethics working group.

Multi-site approvals are coordinated by APCC

04

Data Access Agreement

Approved researchers sign Data Access Agreements (DAAs) with participating cohorts, outlining terms of use, authorship, and benefit sharing.

Templates provided by APCC

05

Secure Data Access

Access cohort data through secure Trusted Research Environments (TREs) or via cohort-specific data portals.

No raw data leaves the secure environment

06

Collaboration & Publication

Work collaboratively with cohort PIs and APCC working groups. All publications follow APCC authorship and acknowledgment guidelines.

Open access publication encouraged

Types of Collaboration

Multi-Cohort Studies

Harmonized analysis across multiple APCC cohorts to increase statistical power and generalizability

Single Cohort Access

Direct collaboration with individual cohorts for in-depth, context-specific research

Federated Analysis

Run analyses locally at each cohort site without moving data, then aggregate results

Capacity Building

Training programs and mentorship for early-career African researchers

Ready to Collaborate?

Get in touch with the APCC Secretariat to discuss your research interests and explore collaboration opportunities.

Start a Conversation

Governance Documents

Governance Policy 2026

Policy Doc

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