The lack of an African research ethics framework during epidemic emergencies (EE) has been a glaring concern amongst African scholars for decades. In the context of major public health emergencies of continental and global health concern over the last five years, such as Ebola in 2019, COVID in 2020 and Mpox in 2024, and ongoing epidemics, including those of pandemic potential, the need for such a framework is evident. Ethics frameworks for research during emergencies have been published (World Health Organisation, 2016; Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 2020). However, there is currently no African and continent-wide, coherent guidance that promotes African values, elaborated by Africans for hosting research during EE on the continent. To address this gap, the African Centre for Disease Control convened an Ethics Working Group (Ethics WG) to develop an African framework that embraces dominant African principles/values that might guide the ethical conduct of research in