From 28 September-4 October 2019, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO Afro) organized a training of trainers’ workshop in Kampala, Uganda, to orient facility data managers, ministry of health (MoH) statisticians and other stakeholders on the use of a new harmonised health facility assessment tool. The training sought to provide guidance o...

The World Health Organisation  (WHO) estimates that there will a shortage of at least 18 million health workers globally by 2030 if drastic measures are not put in place to create health sector jobs and improve the working conditions for health workers. The Africa region has an estimated additional requirement of 6.1 million health workers by 2...

As countries embark on their UHC journey, the need for evidence and strong national health research systems has become more critical than ever. Countries in the Africa Region have overall experienced significant improvements in the capacity, governance, utilization and financing of research yet their national health research systems are performi...

Knowledge translation (KT), use of evidence in decision making, diffusion of evidence in policy development, evidence-based decision making…  – whatever term you may prefer for it, KT is not really a new phenomenon. Still, realization remains elusive, certainly in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  Does the current (continent-wide) Univ...

In recent years, Universal health coverage (UHC) has gained political momentum in sub-Saharan African countries. Although countries acknowledge that starting points aredifferent and respective journeys to UHC context-specific, the “how to” needs further elaboration. Hence the importance ofcontextualised evidence to provide tailored answers ...

The commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) lays the basis for a renewed momentum to ensure health for all. Within the SDG agenda we associate ‘Health for All’ with Goal 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages”. Since the endorsement of the SDGs in 2015, we have realised multiple commitments at glob...

Recently, the WHO Regional Office for Africa held a Forum entitled “Health systems strengthening for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (12-16 November 2018).  The Forum brought together health systems and services (HSS) focal persons in WHO country offices, and Direct...

Use of evidence in decision making is viewed as a crucial step in attainment of good health outcomes. Evidence on the most cost effective interventions exists, but its use in decision making is still suboptimal. Uptake of evidence in public health policy development, also referred to as knowledge translation (KT), is poorly understood, especiall...