Building and strengthening capacity for cardiovascular research in Africa through technical training workshops: a report of the joint course on health research methods by the Clinical Research Education Networking and Consultancy and the Ivorian Society of Cardiology

Africa bears a quarter of the global burden of disease but contributes less than 2% of the global research publications on health, partially due to a lack of expertise and skills to carry out scientific research. We report on a short course on research methods organised by the Clinical Research Education Networking and Consultancy (CRENC) during the third international congress of the Ivorian Cardiac Society (SICARD) in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Results from the pre- and post-test evaluation during this course showed that African researchers could contribute more to scientific research and publications, provided adequate support and investment is geared towards the identification and training of motivated early-career scientists.