Research Preparedness Program in East and Central Africa (RPECA)

Executive Summary

On 10 and 11 December 2025, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and PATH hosted an initial foundational technical workshop for the Research Preparedness Program in East and Central Africa (RPECA) in Nairobi, Kenya. This bilingual (English and French) foundational technical engagement aimed to initiate the development of a roadmap and consortium structure for strengthening research preparedness in East and Central Africa and enabling the rapid generation of emergency evidence during outbreaks.

Initiated in March 2025, RPECA is a multi-region, multi-country initiative led by PATH as the initial Technical Coordinating Partner (TCP), funded by CEPI and in collaboration with the Africa CDC and regional stakeholders. Building from Africa CDC’s continental initiatives and other regional activities, RPECA’s work intends to leverage existing entities, networks, and programs in the region to ensure readiness of a regional vaccine research platform for conducting real-world evidence (RWE) and clinical studies.

The workshop convened approximately 80 stakeholders from more than 30 countries, including representatives from 20 countries in East and Central Africa (Figure 1), focused on research preparedness and emergency response. Participants included a broad array of stakeholders representing diverse perspectives, including research institutions, clinical trial sites, ministries of health, national public health institutes, nongovernmental organizations, laboratory networks, manufacturers, economic communities, and funders.

Via plenary presentations and discussions, live polls, and breakout sessions, the workshop targeted the collection of several key outputs, including: a summary of country research priorities and regional differences; the identification of research ecosystem gaps/barriers and solutions toward developing a rapid emergency evidence generation platform; preferred criteria for establishing regional research preparedness partners and coordination frameworks; and expanding of the network of stakeholders for building RPECA. This report summarizes the outcomes of the workshop, which will inform the development of a roadmap for regional research preparedness and the future structure and operation of RPECA.