The National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) is Nigeria's body responsible for safeguarding the rights, safety, and well-being of research participants. With the growing diversity and volume of health research in the country, evidenced by the review of approximately 400 research protocols in 2025 alone, the national regulatory framework faced increasing pressure.

On July 16 and 17, 2026, the TRACE Project successfully hosted a two-day Capacity Building Workshop for Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) across Rwanda. Achieving a 100% attendance rate from invited IRBs, the event underscored a strong national commitment to harmonizing research ethics, optimizing oversight, and advancing research ethics and good clinical practice (GCP).

Moving toward the final months of its second year, the TRACE Project has officially entered a high-execution phase of national implementation. This momentum was on full display in early June during an intensive four-day face-to-face core group meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe.

In June 2026, the TRACE Project achieved major milestones in strengthening Africa's clinical research systems through two targeted capacity-building initiatives in Morogoro, Tanzania.

As a core partner of the TRACE initiative, Zimbabwe is moving beyond traditional oversight to establish a more visible and accountable research ecosystem. By modernizing its national approach to research ethics, the country is ensuring that its regulatory processes meet the highest international standards while remaining accessible to all stakeholders.

The TRACE Project (Trial Regulation and Clinical Ethics Optimization) is proud to announce the formal inclusion of Kenya into its multi-country initiative which is already being implement in Tanzania, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. This expansion aims to strengthen and align Kenya’s clinical trial oversight systems with regional best practices.

A productive meeting was held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja -Nigeria during the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) Meeting and Training Workshop to advance discussions on strengthening research ethics governance in Nigeria and the role of the TRACE Project in supporting national priorities.

The TRACE Project is set to expand into Kenya, following initial consultations with national stakeholders on integrating the country into the initiative to strengthen clinical trial oversight and ethics systems. In July 2025, a meeting was convened in Nairobi at the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), where TRACE representatives engaged with senior officials from Kenya’s regulatory and ethics bodies to discuss goals, collaborative strategies, and future actions.

TRACE concluded a three-day benchmarking visit to the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), aimed at learning from their pioneering experience in digital ethics and clinical trial oversight. Held from 24th –26th July 2025, the mission was led by Mr. Collins Mwesigwa from UNCST and Dr. Collins Mitambo representing TRACE.

Zimbabwe is modernizing its medical research governance and accelerating digital ethics review systems after decades under outdated regulations. The Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ), established in 1974 under the Rhodesian Government Notice 225, has operated under a legal framework that has remained unchanged for over 50 years.

A scoping mission in Tanzania has provided critical insights into the country’s national ethics systems, paving the way for stronger regulatory oversight and collaboration in clinical trials.

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to ethical and transparent clinical research through the TRACE mission held in Abuja. The mission brought together the TRACE team and the NHREC as well as Institutional and local committees to strengthen clinical trial oversight.

The three-day in-person meeting delivered a unified roadmap for strengthening clinical trial oversight through harmonized ethics and regulatory systems, enhanced digital transformation, and sustainable financing models.

The TRACE project scoping mission was held in Kigali on 13 December 2024 at Hôtel des Mille Collines, marking a key step toward strengthening Rwanda’s clinical trial regulatory and ethics systems.