It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing on Sunday 23 February 2020 of our dearest Dr. Saadou Issifou, MD PhD, former CERMEL Director from 2001 to 2013. He was most recently the President of the “Fondation pour la Recherche Scientifique” (FORS) in Cotonou, in his home country of Benin. He was also Research group leader at the Institute for Tropical Medicine at the University of Tübingen in Germany, as well as a lecturer at the University of Parakou, in Benin.

He was a member of several scientific committees and consortiums including, the Central African Network for TB, AIDS and Malaria (CANTAM), DCCC member at the EDCTP, CCG member at the CAMES, and was Principal Investigator of several international clinical trials performed in Lambaréné, Gabon and in Cotonou, Benin over many years.

His decades-long work as a clinician, researcher, and lecturer touched the lives of children and adults throughout Central and West Africa. Dr. Issifou dedicated his life to combating some of the greatest threats to human health and development, including anti-malarial drug development, and the successful search for a malaria vaccine. His many accomplishments in public health reflect both the grand legacy he leaves, and the great work we all must carry forward in his memory.

We share in the sorrow of his loving family and of our colleagues in all CANTAM countries at our loss. Dr. Issifou’s passing remains in our thoughts during this period of mourning and beyond.

Adieu Docteur Saadou and Rest In Peace

The Central Africa Clinical Research Network (CANTAM) works in synergy with the ministries of Health of Central African Regions via the department in charge of drugs and medications in order to develop pharmacovigilance capacity, which is not well developed in the sub-region. The Clinical Pharmacology unit and Pharmacovigilance (UPC-PV) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) demonstrated their expertise within the CANTAM network countries starting with RoC. The training workshop was coordinated from January 14 to 18, 2020 in Brazzaville, organised by CANTAM in partnership with the ministry of Health and population, promotion of women and integration of women to development of the Republic of Congo. This workshop brought together the main stakeholders of Pharmacovigilance such as: pharmacists from the main hospitals of Brazzaville, members of all programmes working against diseases, pharmacists from the capital, and some traditional healers.

This training workshop also enabled the identification of focal points among the participants in charge of making the link between their hospitals, programmes and other institutions with the National Pharmacovigilance Center soon to be activated and functioning in RoC, and raising the awareness of the health personnel of two hospitals in Brazzaville on the importance and need of pharmacovigilance with the focus on the notification of drug-related adverse events.

Our sincere congratulations to both the CERMEL team and the ACCT organising committee for the success of the event. We all look forward and plan for the 3rd Edition next year.

We participated in the 2nd Edition of the African Congress for Clinical Trials (ACCT), Lambarene, 10-14 Nov 2019. The theme for the Congress was “Clinical trial in Sub-Saharan Africa; Challenge or Opportunity?”

This excellent Congress organised by our CANTAM colleagues of CERMEL brought together researchers from all over the world and was the opportunity to tackle the major challenges of today's research.

Our sincere congratulations to both the CERMEL team and the ACCT organising committee for the success of the event. We all look forward and plan for the 3rd Edition next year.