Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming Africa’s health research landscape, reducing clinical trial review times from six months to as little as one week.
Speaking at the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) 2025 Conference, Francis Kombe, CEO of EthiXPERT, revealed that the organisation’s RHInnO Ethics online platform — enhanced with AI tools earlier this year — is dramatically improving the efficiency of research ethics committees across the continent.
“Ordinarily, reviews could take six months or more, but with AI support, the process has been cut to between one and four weeks,” Kombe said.
How RHInnO’s AI Upgrade Works
RHInnO Ethics, co-developed by EthiXPERT with European partners, is used by over 30 ethics committees across 10 African countries. The platform digitises the traditionally paper-heavy review process, easing administrative burdens and streamlining decision-making.
With the new AI integration, RHInnO now:
- Summarises complex protocols into concise, reviewer-friendly briefs.
- Identifies potential risks and benefits in trial applications.
- Suggests preliminary decisions for reviewers to consider.
- Provides administrators with flexible control to accept, edit, or reject AI recommendations.
Kombe stressed that final approvals remain fully human-led, but the technology removes repetitive tasks and accelerates bottlenecks.
Transformative Impact on African Clinical Research
Ethics committees piloting the upgraded platform report overwhelmingly positive feedback:
- Review turnaround times reduced by over 80%.
- Enhanced ability to handle larger volumes of submissions.
- Structured AI summaries improve consistency and decision quality.
“People were fascinated by how the AI was able to make very reasonable suggestions,” Kombe said.
Funding Challenges Persist
Despite the success, financial barriers remain. Around a dozen African committees use RHInnO intermittently, as they cannot afford annual subscription fees once grant funding expires.
Kombe warned that without sustainable financial models, adoption could stall:
“Some committees cannot continue once grant funding ends,” he said.
He added that broader adoption of AI-enabled platforms like RHInnO could be “pivotal” in accelerating health research while maintaining high ethical standards.
Why It Matters
- Faster Approvals: AI-enabled reviews could speed up clinical trial approvals by months, bringing treatments to patients sooner.
- Scaling Research: Supports Africa’s growing role in global medical research and vaccine development.
- Ethical Integrity: Provides structured checks without removing human oversight, strengthening public trust.
