Malaria, a disease caused by a parasite and transmitted by mosquitoes, represents a threat to almost 40% of the world´s population. The majority of cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where one child under 5 years of age dies every 30 seconds. As a result of the first World Malaria Day, held on 25th April 2008, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, announced the launching of new drive to reinforce the goal of eradicating the disease from the African continent by the end of 2010. Among the tools to achieve this goal, he emphasised the importance of training medical staff in affected countries and encouraging research.

Among others, the strategic goals of the four award-winning institutions include biomedical research, the training of local personnel, medical care and institutional backing as tools to put an end to the relation between disease and poverty, thus contributing to the development of national and international public health.

The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), in Ghana, was set up in 1994 as one of the three research centres of the Ghana Health Service, its aim being to provide African solutions to the continent´s health challenges. During this time, the KHRC has developed one of the largest district surveillance systems and is currently testing a malaria vaccine called RTS,S in Ghana. This vaccine, created in 1987 and developed by GSK Biologicals, proved effective in adults in the United States, Belgium, Kenya, and in children from Mozambique and Gambia. The KHRC became involved in the development of the RTS,S vaccine in 2006, carrying out a malaria vaccine trial among children of 5 to 7 years old which will allow the safety range for immunisation to be fixed at 5 months to 17 years of age. The centre has been directed by the epidemiologist, Seth Owusu-Agyei, since 2007.