Dr Michael Makanga named new Executive Director of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking
The Governing Board of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking has appointed Dr Michael Makanga as the Executive Director. He will take up his duties on 16 November 2023.
Dr Makanga has extensive experience of working in the global health research sector and is currently the Executive Director of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) Association.
Dr Makanga is a clinician-scientist with nearly thirty years of health and clinical research work experience in African and European institutions. He has a medical Degree from Makerere University, a Master’s and PhD in Pharmacology and Therapeutics from the Liverpool University and School of Tropical Medicine and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
He has vast experience in global health, research for health capacity development, engagement with policy makers, ethics and regulatory authorities in both Africa and Europe. Moreover, he has served in various scientific and policy advisory boards involved in developing medical products and associated technologies for infectious diseases, including the World Bank, international product development organisations, philanthropies and pharmaceutical companies.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr Michael Makanga as the new Executive Director of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking. Following a thorough recruitment process involving several strong candidates, he brings the necessary experience, knowledge and skills to lead the important work carried out by this Joint Undertaking. We are looking forward to beginning this new and exciting phase under his leadership”, said Dr Henning Gädeke, responsible for international cooperation at the Global and Public Health Research division of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Chair of the Governing Board of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (Global Health EDCTP3).
With a total budget of up to €1.6 billion, Global Health EDCTP3 aims to reduce the socio-economic burden of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa by promoting the development and uptake of new or improved health technologies. The new Executive Director will ensure efficient and correct implementation of the Global Health EDCTP3 annual Work programmes and the achievement of its objectives.
"I am honoured and enthused to join Global Health EDCTP3 as its Executive Director. Building on the efforts made by the previous EDCTP programmes, I am certain that the Joint Undertaking is well-positioned and has the capacity to grow stronger and become an established player in the global health research arena. I look forward to working with all our partners to achieve our common goals and provide solutions for those who need them most”, said Dr Michael Makanga.
Dr Makanga’s combined knowledge of the European and African policy landscape, as well as programme and project implementation, will be key as Global Health EDCTP3 seeks to establish itself as the main public-public partnership working to accelerate the development and access to health technologies to tackle infectious diseases.
“Global Health EDCTP3 is a key initiative contributing to the implementation of the European Union’s Global Health Strategy and the African Union – European Union Innovation Agenda. With his wealth of expertise, Dr Michael Makanga will strengthen Global Health EDCTP3’s position as the biggest public-public partnership funding infectious disease research. He has the full support of the Governing Board to carry out this critical leadership role and ensure that the partnership’s objectives are met”, said Irene Norstedt, Director at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission and Vice-Chair of the Global Health EDCTP3’s Governing Board.
Since its launch in 2021, Dr Elmar Nimmesgern, an experienced official of the European Commission, has been acting as interim Executive Director of Global Health EDCTP3. The Governing Board of Global Health EDCTP3 warmly thanks Dr Elmar Nimmesgern for steering the work of this Joint Undertaking since its inception. Dr Elmar Nimmesgern will continue to lead the organisation until Dr Michael Makanga takes up his duties on 16 November 2023.
Background information
The Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking invests in global health through funding collaborative research and innovation projects tackling infectious diseases and supporting activities for research capacity building in Africa.
Information on the Global Health EDCTP3 annual strategy and funding opportunities can be found in the dedicated annual Work Programmes.
The Executive Director has a central role to play in Global Health EDCTP3 as the responsible person for the day-to-day running of the organisation. The Executive Director will manage the administrative, operational and financial measures necessary for the proper implementation of the annual Work Programmes and other budgetary and strategic decisions. More information on the tasks of the Executive Director can be found in Council Regulation 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe, in particular Article 19.