Dear Youth Researchers Academy Participants and Stakeholders,

It is with great pleasure and a profound sense of purpose that I welcome you to the inaugural National Health Research Authority (NHRA) Youth Researchers Academy (YRA) in Zambia, hosted under the auspices of the NHRA.

This pioneering initiative directly reflects our core mandate to promote, regulate, and coordinate health research for the improvement of the health and well-being of the people of Zambia. Central to this mission is our unwavering commitment to capacity building ensuring that we cultivate a strong, home-grown research workforce capable of generating the evidence needed to address our most pressing health challenges. The YRA represents a strategic investment in you, our future research leaders, to build this capacity from the ground up.

Adolescents in Zambia face significant Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) challenges, including teenage pregnancy, coerced sex, and early marriage. While young people are often the subjects of research, they are rarely the investigators. The YRA seeks to change this reality. Our vision is to empower youth with research skills to generate evidence and make impactful SRHR contributions towards the following thematic areas such as mental health, HIV/AIDS, contraceptive, drug abusive, .

 As you embark on this journey, I encourage you to learn, engage, network, and explore every opportunity the program offers. Together with your mentors and peers, I am confident you will gain valuable insights and make lasting contributions to Zambia’s health research landscape.

We look forward to your active participation and feedback as we walk this journey with you.