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AI Could Help Africa Build Medicines Tailored to Its People, Scientist Says
AI Could Help Africa Build Medicines Tailored to Its People, Scientist Says
Sputnik Africa
Artificial intelligence is opening new possibilities in medicine, from speeding up drug discovery to helping scientists develop treatments that better reflect... 11.09.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-09-11T13:22+0200
2026-09-11T13:22+0200
2026-09-11T13:22+0200
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AI Could Help Africa Build Medicines Tailored to Its People, Scientist Says
Sputnik Africa
Artificial intelligence is opening new possibilities in medicine, from speeding up drug discovery to helping scientists develop treatments that better reflect the genetic diversity and health needs of African populations.
For a continent with a high disease burden but a relatively small share of global clinical trials, the growing use of AI in drug research is also raising questions about data, infrastructure, scientific capacity, and Africa’s role in developing its own medicines.Global South Pole spoke to Kelly Chibale, professor of organic chemistry at the University of Cape Town and founding director of the H3D Drug Discovery and Development Center, to discuss how AI could transform drug discovery and strengthen Africa’s capacity to develop medicines for its people.Prof. Chibale said AI could help researchers reduce the time and cost of drug discovery by predicting the activity and toxicity of potential compounds and helping scientists identify the most promising ones for further testing. He stressed that the technology should improve the efficiency of research while keeping human scientific judgment at the center.To listen to the whole discussion, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict, Overcast, and Mave Stream.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole
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africa, podcasts, health, healthcare, health ministry, medicine, artificial intelligence (ai), drugs, generic drugs, innovation, biomedicine, biotechnology, biology, research, аудио
AI Could Help Africa Build Medicines Tailored to Its People, Scientist Says
Aliyu Bello
Correspondent, Podcast Host
Artificial intelligence is opening new possibilities in medicine, from speeding up drug discovery to helping scientists develop treatments that better reflect the genetic diversity and health needs of African populations.
For a continent with a high disease burden but a relatively small share of global clinical trials, the growing use of AI in drug research is also raising questions about data, infrastructure, scientific capacity, and Africa’s role in developing its own medicines.
Global South Pole spoke to Kelly Chibale, professor of organic chemistry at the University of Cape Town and founding director of the H3D Drug Discovery and Development Center, to discuss how AI could transform drug discovery and strengthen Africa’s capacity to develop medicines for its people.
Prof. Chibale said AI could help researchers reduce the time and cost of drug discovery by predicting the activity and toxicity of potential compounds and helping scientists identify the most promising ones for further testing. He stressed that the technology should improve the efficiency of research while keeping human scientific judgment at the center.
"It’s not to replace the human thinking and the human mind, but it’s to help us prioritize the experiments that we need to do. There is no substitute for experiments. You have to do experiments. But how can we do this in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner? So the longer you take to do something, the more expensive it becomes. So time is money, and that's where I see potential to bring efficiency but also to shorten the time it takes at every stage of the pipeline," Prof. Chibale explained.
To listen to the whole discussion, tune in to the
Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by
Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole 
