International Development Grant
African Research Partnerships through the Africa Health Systems Initiative
Project Number: CA-3-A033463001
Status: Closed
Country/Region: Unknown
Regional Focus:
Maximum Contribution: $4,932,896.00
Start Date: May 15, 2008
End Date: February 02, 2015
Duration: 6.7 years
Project Description
This project aims to support research partnerships between African and Canadian researchers to find solutions to Africa's human resources crisis and to strengthen health systems in Africa. The project seeks to demonstrate a clear link between research policy and action to improve the health of the most vulnerable populations in the region. The project supports ten research teams based in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso Kenya Malawi Mali Tanzania Uganda and Zambia. The research teams are led jointly by an African researcher and an African decision-maker and include several Canadian researchers. The research focuses on the needs of disadvantaged segments of the population and studies: (1) how to recruit and retain health workers and shift certain services to less specialized health workers to address the severe human resources crisis in the health sector in sub-Saharan Africa; and (2) the role of health information in ensuring greater equity in access to health care. This project is implemented by Canada’s Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI) an established collaborative mechanism made up of three Canadian agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) the Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development (DFATD) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The GHRI is hosted at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). This project is the research component of the African Health Systems Initiative (AHSI) a ten-year $450-million commitment (2006-2016) to strengthen health systems in sub-Saharan Africa.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2014) include: Five research projects influenced health policies: (i) Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health relaxed restrictions affecting the mobility of regional health staff; (ii) the Nairobi City Commission strictly enforced the national policy of tuberculosis screening of pregnant women in programs to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV; (iii) Mali’s Ministry of Health included the development of telemedicine the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients using telecommunications technology in support of peripheral health units in its new five-year plan; (iv) Uganda’s Ministry of Health adopted the methodology for estimating the drug needs of village health teams and initiated the translation of the guidelines on integrated community case management (iCCM) into local languages to help volunteer community health workers provide vital child services in southwest Uganda; and (v) Kenya’s Ministry of Health included community-based health information systems as an official health strategy. Two research projects influenced the curricula of medical institutions: (i) the Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi accredited the Practical Approach to Lung Health Plus HIV/AIDS (PALM PLUS) clinical training program which was piloted by the project and designed to integrate HIV/AIDS care with other primary care in the country and the Malawi College of Medicine included the program in the fourth year curriculum of medical students on clinical rotation; and (ii) the School of Medicine and other health worker training institutions in Zambia are adopting a competency-based approach. Three research teams achieved international recognition in their respective fields: one in Kenya for community-based health information systems; one inTanzania for its work in community- based ophthalmology and one in Mali for telemedicine and e-health. Additionally the Kenya Malawi Tanzania and Zambia research teams are participating
Key Information
Executing Agency:
IDRC - International Development Research Centre
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
WGM Africa
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Other technical assistance
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Pre-APP