Enhancing health security in Africa: Collaboration between public health institutes and academia

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant challenges in Africa, including weak health systems, misinformation, limited vaccine access, and a lack of local data. Effective country-level leadership, coordination, and communication were crucial in addressing these multifaceted challenges.

Aim: The Program for Research on Vaccine Effectiveness (PROVE) was established to address these challenges by fostering international partnerships and advancing scientific knowledge generation toward implementing the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s New Public Health Order.

Setting: The PROVE program is a collaborative initiative under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative of Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation. It brings together a diverse network of researchers and policymakers from National Public Health Institutions and academia across Africa.

Methods: The programme employs a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and analysis of existing data, along with capacity-building efforts.

Results: The PROVE program has achieved several significant results, including: developing evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen DHIS2 and other data systems; strengthening the capacity of National Public Health Institutions; fostering collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and public health professionals; and promoting the use of local data for evidence-informed decision-making.

Conclusion: The PROVE programme’s collaborative approach is a valuable initiative with the potential to improve evidence generation and utilisation in Africa. By encouraging collaboration, knowledge generation and building capacity of local scientists in implementation science, the initiative helps address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and builds resilience against future public health emergencies.

Contribution: This paper describes PROVE’s innovative approaches to generating new knowledge, developing practical approaches, and building capacity among African researchers in collaboration with policymakers.