CONTRIBUTORS
Ann Waithaka
Senior Communications Officer
PATRICK AMBOKA
Project Officer
Joseph Gichuru Wang’ombe
Deputy Executive Director
Benard Ondiek
Virtual Academy Coordinator
In a funding landscape marked by shifting priorities, donor fatigue, and global uncertainty, it is tempting to point to shrinking aid flows as the biggest challenge facing African institutions. But while resources may be shrinking, some questions loom larger: Are institutions truly ready to manage the funds they receive? Who manages donor funds meant for the region?
Africa contributes only 1.3% to global research and development (R&D) investment, underscoring the continent’s marginal role in the global innovation ecosystem, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The African Union estimates that African countries, on average, allocate just 0.45% of their national GDPs to R&D. This average masks significant disparities, with investment ranging from as low as 0.01% in countries like Mauritania to about 0.85% in South Africa. A contributing factor to stagnating or shrinking R&D investment across the continent is the decline in direct donor funding to African institutions, exposing the vulnerability of research systems heavily dependent on external support.
The Good Grant Practice Virtual Academy (GGP-VA) initiative is tackling this head-on by addressing the often-overlooked internal bottlenecks that prevent institutions from securing and sustaining funding. Through a multi-faceted approach, GGP-VA is working with African institutions to strengthen their financial governance, grant compliance, and institutional sustainability. This is achieved by equipping institutions with the necessary tools, knowledge, and systems to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in managing donor funds within the framework of the Good Financial Grant Practice (GFGP Standard).
GGP-VA delivers this support through a combination of self-paced courses through the APHRC Virtual Learning Academy, virtual sessions, in-person workshops, technical assistance, and a Community of Practice. The initiative is also facilitating self-assessments on the GFGP portal to determine the baseline capacities of institutions in terms of systems and processes. After review, action is taken to strengthen institutions’ financial governance, toward GFGP certification.
Regional Inception Workshops: From Awareness to Action
Since its launch in early 2025, GGP-VA has held inception workshops across three regional blocks: West Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), East and Central Africa (Nairobi, Kenya), and most recently, Southern Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa). The workshops have sought to establish a continental movement for enhanced financial management and grant compliance. Sessions during the workshops introduced the initiative and created spaces for collaboration, shared learning, and region-specific dialogue on grant and financial management challenges.
Across the three regional inception workshops, GGP-VA engaged close to 220 representatives from more than 30 African research and non-research institutions, including universities, NGOs, and government-affiliated bodies. Together, the participants explored the systemic issues that hinder grant effectiveness, including fragmented financial systems, weak compliance frameworks, and limited cross-departmental coordination. Importantly, these gatherings served as catalytic moments to build awareness, secure institutional buy-in, and co-create solutions tailored to Africa’s evolving funding landscape.
A central feature of the workshops was the review and validation of the training modules designed for managers and administrators. They include: Introduction to GFGP, Grant Management and Compliance, Governance, Budgeting, Financial Management and Controls, Risk Management, Procurement, and Human Resource Management. The collaborative review ensures the curriculum remains responsive and actionable across diverse institutional realities.
Certification is Not Just a Badge
APHRC’s commitment to good grant practices did not begin with the launch of GGP-VA; it is rooted in years of institutional strengthening and partner support across the continent. The Center has been embedding the principles of GFGP within flagship programs such as the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) and the Catalyze Impact Initiative.
A key milestone in APHRC’s journey came in 2022, when it achieved Platinum GFGP certification, the highest tier of the standard. The achievement was more than a badge of honor, it was a public demonstration of the Center’s own commitment to excellence, transparency, and accountability. It also reinforced APHRC’s credibility as a capacity-strengthening partner, walking the talk in institutional governance.
APHRC has successfully offered technical assistance, mentorship, and facilitation toward GFGP assessment and certification to partner institutions. While over 100 institutions have been supported by APHRC to pursue GFGP certification, only ten have been certified to date, even with the provision of financial support. The 10% success rate underscores persistent institutional bottlenecks, including weak internal controls, limited automation, fragmented workflows, and poor cross-functional coordination.
GGP-VA is a strategic evolution of the early efforts that lay the groundwork for financial and grant management transformation in African institutions. Beyond allocating dedicated resources to institutionalize these practices, the initiative provides a structured, scalable model through the Virtual Learning Academy to make the vision a reality. It is also a testament to donor confidence, with the secured funding allowing APHRC to expand and deepen its support to more institutions across the continent.
The institutions that have achieved certification are powerful examples of what is possible. In Tanzania, for instance, the Kilimanjaro Christian Research Institute (KCRI) saw its credibility and funding prospects improve significantly post-certification, as shared by Ms. Elizabeth Kussaga, Senior Research Administrator at KCRI, “Going through the GFGP certification increased the donor funding to our institution, as it increased our credibility.”
Similarly, in Kenya, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) has emerged as another success story. During the East and Central Africa inception workshop, Prof. Francis Orata, Director of Research and Postgraduate Support (DRPS), emphasized the importance of this recognition, stating, “I am glad that MMUST has received this recognition, which serves as evidence to potential funders and donors of our prudent grants management.”
These examples show that GFGP certification is not simply a compliance exercise; it is an entry point into sustainable institutional change. Through GGP-VA, APHRC is going beyond encouraging certification to enabling readiness: strengthening capacity, mentoring teams, and helping institutions internalize the practices that will earn and retain donor trust.
Changing the Narrative
So, do African institutions face a funding problem or a fund management problem? The answer is neither! They face a readiness challenge. But that challenge is being met with bold, practical solutions. Through GGP-VA, APHRC is calling for better grant practices and equipping institutions to embody them. We are building a future where African institutions are not only eligible for funding but are recognized globally as credible, capable, and confident custodians of it.
The implementation of the Good Grant Practice Virtual Academy is led by the African Population and Health Center (APHRC) with generous funding from the Gates Foundation.