It is no secret that the Clinical Research Industry is on a rise in Africa, especially in its developing countries, and this has been pointed out by not one but many business reports. Slowly and steadily, over a period of time, the number of clinical trials in countries such as Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Gambia, Uganda etc have increased with the countries actively participating in studies such as of the HIV, Diabetes, Oncology, Infectious Diseases etc. The availability of a large patient population and presence of many high qualified English speaking doctors are a huge plus for these countries from a clinical research point of view. Many of these African countries already have well developed regulatory frameworks and guidelines in place that govern the conduct of clinical trials within their jurisdiction. The growth of this industry in these countries is also associated with the growth of people who work in this industry. As any industry in a region grows, so do the people.
The current and expected growth of the clinical research industry in developing nations of Africa is all set to create thousands of jobs in this region, jobs that will be for people who are knowledgeable about clinical trials and have formal training in this domain. Not only will jobs be available in core clinical research but also allied areas such as pharmacovigilance, medical writing, regulatory affairs, quality assurance etc. Clinical Research Industry is highly regulated, thus making it important for any clinical trial professional to have the knowledge of all applicable international and local guidelines and regulations to be followed for the conduct of clinical trials. Having people on board who have this knowledge and the required skills is always preferred by employers. Today, is the right time for any science graduate in Africa to start investing time in learning clinical research and getting formally trained as the opportunities for them in future will be enormous. People trained in clinical research can work within multiple different areas in pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, hospitals, healthcare clinics, government regulatory bodies, etc and contribute to the development of new drugs and devices that will make the lives of patients better in time to come.
James Lind Institute (JLI), a pioneer in clinical research, pharmaceutical medicine, healthcare and medical journalism training and education now brings its globally accepted, international standard online training programs to the doorstep of every African student in countries such as Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Gambia and Uganda. To know more about the various programs offered by JLI, your eligibility, duration, applicable course fee and other details please feel free to visit the JLI Website or chat online with one of our counselors.