Jul 19, 2021How social sciences and modeling are informing COVID-19 policy responses across AfricaIn response to the varied impacts of COVID-19 on social dynamics, economic systems, and health systems, there is a renewed need for evidence-based decision-making. Several African countries have taken a ‘data-driven response position. For instance, South Africa has used the national COVID-19 Epi Model (NCEM) [i] to predict transmission dynamics…Global Health4 min readGlobal Health4 min read
Jul 14, 2021Public confidence and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in AfricaThe COVID-19 pandemic has had clearly negative impacts on health and socio-economies worldwide. For Africa in particular, there is widespread concern that the pandemic could get far worse owing to the continent’s weak research and information systems as well as unstable socio-economic safety nets. The number of COVID-19 infections is…Vaccine Hesitancy5 min readVaccine Hesitancy5 min read
Jun 16, 2021Understanding COVID-19 transmission dynamics and diagnostics in Africa |Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been hampered by several factors, including lack of adequate evidence on effective approaches for different groups, scientific uncertainties, scarcity of context-relevant data, and the changing nature of the pandemic, most notably the emergence and spread of new variants. …Health Policy4 min readHealth Policy4 min read
Jun 9, 2021A collaboration to produce evidence-informed context-specific policy responses to COVID-19 in Africa |Why does Africa need a context-specific, evidence-based response to COVID-19? The severe acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 and continues to be one of the most challenging public health crises in recent history. While the nations of Africa have recorded fewer cases and deaths…4 min read4 min read
May 25, 2021Celebrating African UnityAs we set out to commemorate Africa Day, a celebration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union), there is no better time to reflect on how we can enhance knowledge and capacity effectiveness in Africa. …Africa5 min readAfrica5 min read
May 12, 2021Africa and Global Health Security: Asking the Right QuestionsThe first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Africa was reported in February 2020. More than a year later, in early April 2021, Africa reported 4.28 million infections and 114,000 deaths, with South Africa accounting for approximately 40% of the reported cases. Overall, Africa is currently contributing about 3.2% of the…Covid-194 min readCovid-194 min read
Apr 24, 2021Lessons from Africa: Building Resilience through Community-Based Health Systems.“If there’s one message, its health systems need to be resilient, agile, and equitable,” said Uzma Alam, a researcher at the Africa Institute for Health Policy Foundation and Senior Program Officer of the Africa Academy of Sciences. “No one person, no one community, no one minority can be left behind…Health6 min readHealth6 min read
Apr 1, 2021Gender equity in STEM equals excellence.Another 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely managed drinking water services. That is, one in three people globally do not have access to safe drinking water. There are 79.5 million forcibly displaced persons globally; close to 43 percent (34 million) are children. Add to this list…Gender2 min readGender2 min read
Feb 22, 2021Redesigning Health Systems for Global Health Security.Africa was predicted to be hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, given its poor health systems. However, this outcome has not been the case. Despite the U.S. being the highest spender on health care globally, COVID-19 has shown that its primary care infrastructure is in much need of strengthening. But…Africa5 min readAfrica5 min read
Mar 21, 2020A Tale of Two Countries, Two Leaders, and One Virus.Coronavirus, Covid-19, pandemic, global health, public health, social distancing, isolation, self-quarantine, case zero; no longer words just heard in the hallways of elite institutions. Today these words are part of the everyday lexicon of people globally. …Corona4 min readCorona4 min read
