CORE PROJECT TEAM
The TRACE Core Project Team brings together regional and global partners who work collaboratively to streamline, harmonize, and digitalize clinical trial regulatory and ethics systems across Africa. Their shared mission is to enhance transparency, predictability, efficiency, and collaboration in clinical trial review processes, enabling participating countries to conduct high-quality, ethical, and internationally competitive research.
The Core Project Team is responsible for day-to-day management, strategic guidance, and coordination of all implementation activities. Members include representatives from the Gates Foundation, The MRCT Center, AVAREF, Garnet Partners, CIIC-HIN and the participating countries secretariat. Garnet Partners leads project management, coordination, and financial oversight, ensuring timely delivery and consistency across all workstreams. The Core Project Team convenes monthly to review progress, address challenges, and guide the next steps.
Gates Foundation provides the project’s overarching strategic leadership and vision. As the primary funder, the foundation guides the long-term objectives of TRACE, ensuring alignment with continental regulatory strengthening efforts and supporting impactful, sustainable reforms across all participating countries.
Garnet Partners serves as the core coordination and financial management arm of TRACE. It oversees day-to-day project operations, ensures alignment across all countries, manages timelines and deliverables, facilitates cross-country communication, and supports the overall governance structure to keep the project on track.
The MRCT Center leads the technical workstreams of TRACE, specifically capacity building, accreditation models, ethics reliance frameworks, and the development of sustainable financing mechanisms for NECs. Their expertise ensures that TRACE activities are grounded in international standards and adapted effectively to country contexts.
The African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF) contributes to the harmonization agenda of TRACE by supporting the alignment of national SOPs, review processes, ethics and regulatory pathways with regional frameworks, and by promoting the adoption of AVAREF-recommended standards and tools.
CIIC-HIN leads the communication workstream, stakeholder engagement, and national coordination efforts within TRACE. It ensures that information flows effectively across stakeholders, supports visibility and dissemination of project activities, and anchors TRACE implementation within Rwanda while contributing to cross-country communication and technical alignment.
TRACE Country Secretariats
The TRACE Country Secretariats consist of representatives from national ethics committees and regulatory authorities in each participating country. It ensures that TRACE activities are fully integrated within national systems, coordinates technical inputs from country institutions, and supports the institutionalization and sustainability of reforms at country level.
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee provides overall strategic direction and oversight for the TRACE Project, including guidance on strategic priorities, sustainability and resource mobilization. The Committee is chaired by a senior representative of the Gates Foundation. Members include representatives from the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), the African Medicines Agency (AMA), AVAREF, the MRCT Center, the Global Medical Research Institute (GMRI), the African Clinical Research Network (ACRN), the Gates Foundation, and Chief Medical Officers or Permanent Secretaries from participating Ministries of Health. The Steering Committee meets twice a year.
Dr. David Mukanga
Gates Foundation
Deputy Director,
Africa Regulatory Systems
Dr. Collins Mitambo
Garnet Partners
Project Manager
Sarah White
MRCT Center
Executive Director
Enock Kebenei
KEMRI (Kenya)
Assistant Research Officer (Research Regulations)
Dr. Rosemary Njogu
PPB (Kenya)
Principal Scientist
Dr. Kara Neil
RNEC (Rwanda)
Co-Chair
Dr. Lolade Adeyemi
Ministry of Health (Nigeria)
Special Advisor on Research & Innovation
Dr. Damas Matiko
TMDA (Tanzania)
Manager for Clinical Trials Control and Pharmacovigilance
Dr. Elly Kourany Lefoll
Gates Foundation
Consultant, Global Regulatory Affairs
Dr. Kwasi Nyarko
AVAREF
Technical Officer, Implementation Research Portfolio Coordinator
Noni Mumba
KEMRI (Kenya)
Community Engagement Consultant
Dr. Peter Saula
Moi University
Senior Lecturer
Prof. Jeanine Condo
CIIC-HIN (Rwanda)
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Alphonse Ndayambaje
Rwanda FDA
Team Lead, Clinical Trial Analyst
Dr. Olusanya Sholakunmi
NHREC (Nigeria)
TRACE Project Officer
Prof. Priscilla Nyambayo
MCAZ (ZImbabwe)
Head Pharmacovigilance & Clinical Trials
Stella Ekallam
Gates Foundation
Consultant, Project Management
Prof. Barbara Bierer
MRCT Center
Faculty Director
Fantacy Twagira
CIIC-HIN
Communications Lead
Teresia Nyawira
NACOSTI (Kenya)
Principal Scientist
Marie Angele Ikuzwe
CIIC-HIN (Rwanda)
TRACE Project Coordinator
Prof. Richard Adegbola
NHREC (Nigeria)
Chairperson
Dr. Obadia Bishoge
NIMR (Tanzania)
Head of Health Research Regulation Section
Prof. Tendayi Kureya
MRCZ (Zimbabwe)
Executive Secretary