Strategic Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) Models for Financing Sustainable Priority Research and Development (R&D) in Rwanda and Kenya

Vincent Okungu, Researcher at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, will develop sustainable financing models to boost domestic funding for research and development (R&D) in East Africa. R&D is routinely underfunded in Africa, with the continent producing around 2% of the research output yet accounting for 15% of the global population. Dr. Okungu is a senior health economist whose passion is to see the development of resilient health systems in Africa. He has directed several health sector projects, including a national strategy for non-communicable diseases, together with the Ministry of Health, to guide resource mobilization and investments in Rwanda. He will investigate R&D financing by governments in two study countries, Kenya and Rwanda, and design creative approaches to motivate policymakers to increase budgets, as well as identifying high impact health programs such as vaccine development that could attract investments from public and private sources. He will also leverage knowledge from other sectors to learn how best to mobilize domestic finances for R&D and explore new sources of tax revenues. He aims to establish a mechanism for financing at least one priority R&D project agreed upon by public and private stakeholders in Kenya and Rwanda.