Partner
Institutions
6 leading universities spanning two continents, united in advancing pharmaceutical and health sciences excellence.
University of Cape Coast
The University of Cape Coast's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences represents Ghana's commitment to pharmaceutical excellence, combining modern pharmacy education with traditional African medicine research. Established in 2018, SoPPS has rapidly developed a comprehensive Doctor of Pharmacy program across five specialized departments. With over 80,000 students, UCC serves as a major educational hub in West Africa, excelling in herbal medicine research through its dedicated Herbal Medicinal Product and Evaluation Unit, bridging the gap between traditional African therapeutic practices and evidence-based pharmaceutical science.
University of Port Harcourt
The University of Port Harcourt — popularly known as "Unique UniPort" — is one of Nigeria's avant-garde tertiary institutions with a mandate to empower the Niger Delta region and the country academically. Established in 1975 as a College of the University of Lagos, the university gained full autonomous status in 1977 and is located about 18 kilometres northwest of Port Harcourt — Nigeria's Garden City, home to the country's second largest seaport and the hub of the petroleum and gas industry. UniPort is uniquely situated at the intersection of West Africa's tropical rainforest and the wetlands, swamps, and mangrove forests of the Niger Delta. Recognised by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the university offers programmes across the arts, engineering, social sciences, and sciences, and runs effective extension services through specialised research institutes and centres. As of 2022, UNIPORT hosts 72 bachelor's, 125 master's-level, and 106 doctoral-level programmes, with a total student population of 33,501, a teaching staff strength of 1,456, and administrative staff of 2,008. The Africa Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR, www.aceputoruniport.edu.ng) — the EXCEL-PHARM managing centre — is a World Bank-funded regional hub for interdisciplinary postgraduate training and research in public health, toxicology, nutrition, and nursing sciences.
Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar
Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) is one of West Africa's oldest, largest, and most prestigious public universities, located in Dakar, Senegal. Its origins trace back to the African School of Medicine established in 1918 and the French Institute of Black Africa (IFAN) created in 1936, both of which laid the foundation for higher education in the region. The institution was formally founded as the University of Dakar in 1957 and later renamed in 1987 to honor the renowned historian and scientist Cheikh Anta Diop. Today, UCAD is a comprehensive university hosting six major faculties, numerous schools and institutes, and a student population exceeding several tens of thousands, including learners from across Africa and Europe. The university is also a leading research hub in West Africa, with robust research infrastructures — including IFAN — and extensive laboratory networks across disciplines such as health, environmental sciences, and technology. UCAD maintains active membership in international academic bodies like the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie and the Association of African Universities, reaffirming its global academic engagement.
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a research-intensive public institution in South Africa, officially established as a university in 1918, with roots dating back to 1866. Located in the Western Cape Province, it offers 10 faculties — including AgriSciences, Arts and Social Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, Science, Theology, and Military Science — to over 35,000 students across multiple campuses, with more than 150 undergraduate and 800 postgraduate programmes. Stellenbosch holds the highest weighted research output per full-time staff member of any South African university. Its Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026, is the focal point for the EXCEL-PHARM partnership. Physically located in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, the FMHS hosts over 5,000 students across more than 90 postgraduate programmes at Honours, Masters, and Doctoral level. The Faculty is anchored by the Stellenbosch University Biomedical Research Institute (SUBRI) — a landmark R1.2 billion facility that brings together over 500 researchers working on Africa's most pressing health challenges, from tuberculosis and HIV to cardio-metabolic and neurological diseases.
Makerere University
Makerere University is the largest university in Uganda and one of the highest-ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa. Established as a technical school in 1922, it attained Medical School status in 1924 before evolving into a University College (1937–1963) offering degrees of the University of London. It became part of the University of East Africa in 1963 and gained full independence in 1970 when that federation was dissolved into three national universities — University of Nairobi, University of Dar es Salaam, and Makerere University. Today, Makerere operates under a collegiate system with nine colleges and one School of Law. Its College of Health Sciences anchors pharmaceutical and health sciences education, offering programmes from undergraduate to PhD level, including a PhD in Health Sciences, Master of Public Health (MPH), and Master of Pharmacology. The university admits approximately 45,000 students, of whom 15% are postgraduates and 8% are international students. Makerere's key functions are Training, Research and Innovations.
Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa
The Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon (FFUL) embodies European pharmaceutical excellence as Portugal's premier pharmacy faculty and EXCEL-PHARM's vital EU partner. FFUL's research powerhouse, iMed.ULisboa (https://imed.ulisboa.pt), unites over 200 researchers in a vibrant translational research ecosystem that transforms pharmaceutical innovations into life-saving medicines. With impressive research productivity in 2024 — more than 350 publications (86% in Q1 journals), 22 active patents, and 17 PhD completions — FFUL demonstrates sustained scientific impact. As part of Portugal's largest and highest-ranked university, FFUL brings crucial European perspectives, regulatory expertise, and international research networks to the consortium.
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