ABSTRACT
Debates around the ethics of externally sponsored research in developing countries, including countries in Africa, amid increase in such research, has brought a renewed attention to the way in which health research is conducted in these countries. Similar attention also continues to be drawn to the health research disparities between developed and developing countries. One of the key findings of the study undertaken here is that governance tools used in African countries are increasingly similar- ethics policies, legislation, ethics review committees, and drug regulatory authorities, with some differences in terms of content and structure. The National Health Research Ethics Committee or Council are policymaking bodies which also have regulatory functions. Thus, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya use similar tools, although the arrangements differ in small but significant respects. These mechanisms govern both domestic and internationally sponsored research.
