INDEPTH Board holds an extraordinary meeting by teleconference on August 10

Prof. Tumani Corrah, Director of the African Research Excellence Fund (AREF), was elected Chair of the INDEPTH Board during the Board’s 40th meeting held in March 2017. Prof Corrah has taken the chair at a time when INDEPTH is facing difficult times in raising core support and when the funding landscape is generally drier. This situation notwithstanding, he is committed to serve the Network, given his conviction of the pivotal role INDEPTH will continue to play in generating longitudinal data and research to guide policy and planning in low- and middle-income countries. He is not new to INDEPTH; he was the Director of the MRC Unit in The Gambia which runs the Farafenni HDSS site, a member of INDEPTH.

In relation to looking at improving the funding situation of INDEPTH, Prof Corrah chaired his first meeting of the Board -- an extraordinary meeting by teleconference on August 10 -- to highlight the need for collective action towards fundraising for INDEPTH, especially core support that is required to push the core activities of the Network which are not necessarily tied to specific projects. The Board discussed proposals to reduce general operating costs of the Network to make us look more attractive to current and potential funders.