Yakubu Gowon Varsity To Build Homegrown Expertise For Tackling Sickle Cell Disease

The National Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training (NCESRTA), Yakubu Gowon University (formerly University of Abuja), has launched a 12-week intensive training programme to build local expertise in clinical trials for sickle cell disease (SCD).

Sponsored by IQVIA in collaboration with Bio Ventures for Global Health, the programme runs from September 18 to November 27, 2025, and is designed to prepare Nigerian researchers and clinicians to participate in groundbreaking clinical trials.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the training in Abuja on Thursday, Professor Obiageli Nnodu, Director of NCESRTA,
said sickle cell disease remains one of the most prevalent genetic blood disorders in sub-Saharan Africa and a leading cause of mortality among children under five and young adults.

According to her, the training was designed to address this gap by equipping healthcare workers with the tools to engage in global trials, noting that the programme was not aimed at testing a specific treatment but rather at strengthening the overall capacity of clinical sites.

“We are not targeting any specific treatment. What we are doing is strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers and clinical sites to participate in future trials in sickle cell disease. Once you have that training, the skills can also be applied to other areas such as oncology, hypertension, diabetes, and pulmonary diseases,” she said.

The training will be delivered virtually with weekly interactive sessions facilitated by clinical trial experts, regulatory professionals, and financial specialists, with emphasis on practical application.

She said interest in the programme has already surpassed expectations, while five participants from each of the 25 SPARC-Net sites were mandated to register, more than 460 individuals have signed up online.

“The interest has extended beyond Nigeria, with participants from Sudan, Zambia, and other countries also registering.”

Professor Nnodu noted that when the programme was publicised on LinkedIn, it recorded over 16,000 views, a signal of the growing demand for such capacity-building opportunities.

She further explained that one of the outcomes of the training will be a paper documenting the challenges of conducting clinical trials in resource-limited settings, drawing from experiences at NCESRTA and other SPARC-Net sites.

“The long-term goal is sustainability. This is about building homegrown expertise. If Nigeria can run its own high-quality trials, we can deliver more effective, patient-centered care for sickle cell disease and ultimately save more lives,” she added.

Also speaking, Beno Nyam Yakubu, Head of Clinical Trials at NAFDAC, emphasised the agency’s role in ensuring the protocols meet both national and global standards.

“For every clinical trial submission, we weigh the benefit-risk ratio and assess the protocol to ensure it aligns with our regulatory requirements.

“Our normal turnaround time is 60 working days, but under the fast-track pathway, particularly during emergencies, approvals can be granted within 10 to 15 working days,” he stated.