With the on-going development of the West African Infectious Diseases Institute (WAIDI) in Abuja, Nigeria, Accordia is continuing to expand its impact - by connecting researchers at universities across Africa and internationally to facilitate ground-breaking research that establishes new standards of care for effective policy and practice.

Last month, Professor Abdulrazaq Habib of Bayero University Kano in Nigeria– one of WAIDI's founding member universities -  co-authored a study with Dr. Mohammed Lamorde, Head of the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI)'s Clinical Trials and Health Economics and Cost-effectiveness Units, and Dr. Andreas Kuznik, a former Pfizer Global Health Fellow and Accordia Professor-in-Residence. The study Cost-effectiveness of Antivenoms for Snakebite Envenoming in Nigeria effectively demonstrated that antivenoms are cost-effective for reducing mortality and recommended expanding access to this life-saving treatment across Nigeria.

This connection was made possible through Accordia's network of Centers of Excellence and the initiative of Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Vice Chancellor Bayero University Kano, who encouraged Prof. Habib to visit IDI in 2012. At IDI, Prof. Habib saw first-hand the benefits of Accordia's capacity building model – where Dr. Kuznik had mentored several IDI staff, including Dr. Lamorde, in cost effectiveness analysis over multiple visits and on-going distance support. Dr. Kuznik's partnership with IDI and Dr. Lamorde had resulted in the development and expansion of two new research units at IDI, – the Clinical Trials and the Health Economics and Cost-effectiveness Units, and four peer-reviewed published articles. Based on this success, Vice Chancellor Rasheed invited Dr. Kuznik to become a visiting professor at Bayero University Kano to work with Prof. Habib in strengthening the university's Health Economics and Outcomes Research Group. After only one visit, and on-going distance support, this relationship has already produced measurable results –results that provide a strong evidence-base for changing health policy in Nigeria. 

Through its network of Centers of Excellence, Accordia continues to seek opportunities to leverage the expertise and contributions of its' diverse partners in order to transform health in Africa.