Graduates from the Faculty of Bioethics established the first Africa Bioethics Network

The founding members of the network are alumni of the Master’s in Global Bioethics degree and 12 of the members are alumni of the master’s degree.

On May 20th, 2022, the Launch of Africa Bioethics Network was held at KAVI Institute of Clinical Research, University of Nairobi, Kenya. In attendance they had, UNESCO representatives, CLINWIN research, Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative (KAVI), University of Nairobi-UON, St Paul's University, BCA-ETHICS II, Anahuac University, The International Association of Bioethics (IAB), KEMRI and many others with a representation of over 30 countries.

Dr. Maria Inés Girault, coordinator of the Online Master’s degree in Global Bioethics, articulated in this event the importance of Bioethics and its relevance to society. She commended the efforts to start the network and provided the opportunity for members, participants to join the network.

This network was initiated out of the need to harmonize and synergies efforts and provide bioethical solutions to ethical challenges and dilemmas across the continent. It intends to do this by bringing together experts from Africa and beyond in multiple disciplines, such as health; the environment and climate change; sustainability, justice, and responsibility; natural sciences; policy and governance; and technology, social sciences, and humanities, among others, to promote dialogue, and action in tackling bioethical issues.

Its mission is to increase the understanding of bioethical issues and provide access to resources, offers educational programs, and provides networking opportunities with the goal of improving the health and quality of life for individuals and across communities.

Also, the network will work with academics across the world who have similar goals and ideals, to promote quality life and research to alleviate the ethical challenges of our world, especially as applied to Africa through

1. Awareness: Bringing awareness to ethical issues impacting Africa individuals and communities
2. Strong relationships: Engaging the voices of scholars, artists, and activists amplifying the concerns of African societies.
3. Building capacity
4. Fostering innovation through bioethics: With an eye on the changing health landscape, anticipate new and emerging ethical issues and help to develop methods and ways of thinking so that you can understand and address them in your organization.
5. Putting bioethics knowledge into practice: work with multidisciplinary experts in health; the environment and climate change; sustainability, justice, and responsibility; natural sciences; policy and governance; social sciences and humanities across Africa to design applied bioethics interventions to facilitate translation of bioethics knowledge into policies and practice.
6. Partnering for excellence and impact: By bringing together the right partners and collaborators, resources, and processes, we can transform the society through bioethics.

Congratulations for the New Launch of Africa Bioethics Network, we are so proud of all of you!