Abidjan, 27 Feb 2022 (AIP) - The co-investigator of the project 'Ethical considerations in the implementation of research projects' (CECABI), Prof. Benjamin Koudou, has called on researchers to respect the rules and ethical considerations that take into account the protection of participants after identifying the risks involved and the potential benefits in the conduct of their research activities.

This call was made by the Director of Research and Development at the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS) on Thursday, February 24, 2022, during a seminar held in Grand-Bassam.

"The respect of ethical considerations during the implementation of research projects appears to be important insofar as it allows the review of research projects by an ethical committee generally composed of senior researchers from multiple disciplines, members of civil society as well as potential participants," explained the co-investigator of the CECABI project.

Prof. Benjamin Koudou emphasized that even after "rules-based" approval, researchers still have to make many daily ethical judgments during the processes of data collection, analysis, article writing, presentation and impact.

"When a research project is conducted, it is important that all participants understand the purpose of the investigation and have sufficient information about the nature of the study, the methods used, and how the results will be shared, so that they can make an informed decision about their level of participation," he said.

In Côte d'Ivoire, there is a national life sciences and health ethics committee that was established in 1987, following the emergence of the HIV-AIDS pandemic, because it is recognized that a research project could harm participants or infringe on their rights.

The purpose of this committee is to oversee trials and experiments that are done to find effective drugs against diseases. Its mission is also to examine all protocols and research projects in health, including clinical trials and all that is social and anthropological research, agronomy, which may have an impact on human health, but also on animal and environmental health, according to its chairman, Dr. Louis Penali.

(AIP)

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