The African Population Cohorts Consortium (APCC) brings together a diverse network of partners who are essential to achieving our mission. From funders who enable our work, to research institutions that drive scientific innovation, to policy partners who translate evidence into action — each plays a vital role in strengthening Africa's population cohort ecosystem.

Our partnerships are built on shared values of African leadership, ethical research, and equitable collaboration. Together, we are creating a sustainable infrastructure for longitudinal research that serves the needs of African communities and informs health policy across the continent.

Partner Categories

Host Institution

The Science for Africa Foundation hosts the APCC Secretariat, providing administrative, governance, and operational support under a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). SFA's role is critical in ensuring APCC has the infrastructure, staff capacity, and institutional stability needed during its establishment phase and beyond.

Strategic Funders

Core funders provide the financial resources that enable APCC to establish its secretariat, develop data infrastructure, run research programmes, and build cohort capacity. Their investment reflects a commitment to African-led research and sustainable, long-term partnerships that prioritize equity and impact.

Research Institutions

Member research institutions bring scientific expertise, cohort infrastructure, and leadership to APCC. They drive research excellence, contribute to data harmonisation efforts, and ensure that APCC's work is grounded in rigorous science and African realities. These institutions often serve dual roles as both cohort hosts and strategic partners.

Policy Partners

Policy partners — including continental bodies like the Africa CDC and WHO Regional Office for Africa — help ensure that APCC's research is aligned with policy priorities and translated into action. They provide platforms for engagement with Ministries of Health, national public health institutes, and regional economic communities.

Infrastructure & Technical Partners

Infrastructure partners provide the technical backbone for APCC's data systems. This includes hosting federated data platforms (Trusted Research Environments), supporting data harmonisation through common standards, and enabling secure, ethical data access. Partners like H3Africa, INSPIRE Network, and GA4GH bring global expertise while centering African ownership and governance.

Funder

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

United States

Supporter of related African-led implementation research platforms and cohort ecosystem strengthening.

UK Research and Innovation

United Kingdom

Contributor to funding that supported the APCC Blueprint development phase.

Wellcome Trust

United Kingdom

Core funder supporting the establishment of APCC and its governance, research programmes, and infrastructure.

Host Institution

Science for Africa Foundation

South Africa

Host of the APCC Secretariat. Provides administrative, governance, and operational support under a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Infrastructure

African Bioinformatics Institute

South Africa

Host of the federated Trusted Research Environment (TRE) and analytics workspace.

Global Alliance for Genomics and Health

International

Data-sharing standards, APIs, and governance frameworks.

INSPIRE Network

International

Harmonisation of longitudinal population health data using common standards.

Policy

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

Ethiopia

Regional public health collaboration and policy alignment.

African Union Development Agency-NEPAD

South Africa

Alignment with continental health research and innovation strategies.

World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa

Congo

Collaboration on health systems, UHC, and linkage of cohort data to public service data.

Research

Africa Health Research Institute

South Africa

Scientific leadership, cohort infrastructure, and governance leadership.

African Population and Health Research Center

Kenya

Data science leadership, cohort analytics, and INSPIRE network coordination.

KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme

Kenya

Ethics leadership, health systems research, and cohort engagement.