The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has announced a KSh 516 million (USD 4 million) programme to strengthen women’s health research and scientific leadership across Africa.
The three-year initiative, titled “Leadership for Innovation and Excellence in Accelerating Research on Women’s Health (LEA-WH)”, is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and will officially begin in January 2026.
The flagship programme seeks to mentor and equip a new generation of African scientists and innovators, particularly women, to design homegrown solutions to the continent’s most pressing health challenges.
“The LEA-WH Programme represents KEMRI’s commitment to building scientific leadership that is inclusive, innovative, and African-led,” said Prof. Elijah Songok, Acting Director General of KEMRI, in a press statement issued on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
“By empowering scientists to lead groundbreaking research, we are investing in the future of Africa’s health and development.”
Strengthening Women-Led Research in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face a heavy burden of women’s health conditions, many of which remain understudied and underfunded.
These include maternal health complications, reproductive cancers, infectious diseases affecting women disproportionately, and emerging non-communicable diseases.
The LEA-WH programme aims to bridge this research gap by promoting locally driven, women-led studies, supporting scalable innovations, and advancing evidence-based policies that directly respond to Africa’s health realities.
Through training, mentorship, and innovation labs, the initiative will nurture scientists capable of translating research into products, policy, and practice, helping ensure that African women’s health priorities are defined and addressed by Africans themselves.
“Our vision is to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem where African researchers and innovators lead in developing transformative solutions for women’s health,” said Prof. Elizabeth Anne Bukusi, the LEA-WH Programme Director.
Building an Innovation Ecosystem
According to KEMRI, the LEA-WH programme has set ambitious targets for its first eight years, running through 2033.
By then, it aims to bring five to ten innovative products to market testing, support five to ten startups, facilitate five to ten patent applications, enable 20–50 percent of fellows to secure research grants, and attract up to USD 5 million in follow-on funding.
These milestones will serve as key indicators of Africa’s growing capacity to produce, commercialize, and sustain innovations in women’s health.
To promote collaboration and shared learning, KEMRI will also host an annual ScienceX Africa Summit, a continental platform for mentorship, partnership building, and knowledge exchange among scientists, innovators, investors, and policymakers.
Partnerships and Leadership
The LEA-WH initiative will be implemented in partnership with the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and will be guided by the LEA-WH Advisory Council, chaired by Prof. Songok.
Together, they will oversee the programme’s research acceleration pipeline, from early-career scientist training to the commercialization of innovations that address women’s health priorities.
Prof. Bukusi, a leading researcher in reproductive health and clinical trials, emphasized that the initiative will combine leadership development with scientific excellence.
“We want to inspire scientists to think beyond traditional research,” she said. “Leadership in health innovation is about solving real problems that improve women’s lives and strengthen communities.”
A Step Toward Regional Leadership
Experts say the LEA-WH programme positions KEMRI as a regional hub for medical research excellence and gender-responsive innovation, helping transform Africa’s role from research participant to research leader.
By aligning with global health priorities while centering African expertise, KEMRI aims to build a more equitable research landscape that reflects the needs, aspirations, and leadership of African women.
“This is where transformation begins,” Prof. Songok said.
“When African scientists, particularly women, are empowered to lead, the solutions that emerge are more sustainable, more relevant, and more impactful for our continent.”
As KEMRI prepares to roll out the LEA-WH programme in early 2026, the institute envisions a decade of strengthened capacity, collaborative research, and scientific innovation that will shape the future of women’s health in Africa.
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