India, May 25 -- A new report by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Team Europe highlights the enormous economic potential of investing in health research and development (R&D) across the continent.

The report, Investing in Health R&D: Africa's Next Economic Growth Frontier, was launched at an official side event of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

It argues that stronger investment in health R&D could generate an additional $668 billion in GDP across Africa over the next 20 years.

Despite being home to nearly 19 per cent of the world's population, Africa currently accounts for only 1.1 per cent of global R&D investment.

According to the report, this gap represents not only a scientific challeng...