There is a mutually beneficial relationship between national health care systems and national health research systems. A strong health system is better able to support clinical and health-related research, while a strong research system generates evidence to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health care delivery.

Unfortunately, sub-Saharan African countries have traditionally had weak health and research systems. To address this issue, in 2016 the region adopted a new ‘research for health’ strategy. To benchmark national health research systems, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO-AFRO) developed a ‘barometer’ as a tool to assess capabilities across four domains – governance, developing and sustaining resources, producing and using research, and financing.

Consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, sub-Saharan Africa has adopted universal health coverage (UHC) as a key objective. Due to differences in local context, each country will need to forge its own path to UHC. Health research will provide the key evidence to guide countries on this journey.

In 2018, EDCTP and WHO-AFRO partnered to explore use of the barometer to create a roadmap for the development of national health research systems in the region. EDCTP and WHO-AFRO jointly hosted a kick-off meeting in Accra, Ghana, in July 2018, including 50 representatives from 17 EDCTP Participating States. Results of national surveys of health research systems were presented at a high-level side event at the African Ministers of Health meeting in Dakar, Senegal, in August 2018.

WHO-AFRO, in partnership with EDCTP and Tackling Infection to Benefit Africa (TIBA), an African-led organisation supported by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), also published a report mapping the current status of national health research systems in 39 out of the 47 countries in the region. These findings identified significant improvements in many areas since a similar survey in 2014.

To maintain momentum, in October 2019, EDCTP and WHO-AFRO organised a follow-up consultative meeting, held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, to discuss the development of a roadmap to further strengthen national health research systems. The meeting brought together more than 50 delegates from 17 Participating States and other stakeholders. It was agreed that the barometer was a valuable tool for assessing national health research capabilities, and delegates suggested that some additional components, such as public health emergencies, should be added to it. The 2018 results were discussed and used to develop a roadmap for further strengthening of national health research systems, including the roles of additional stakeholders, in advance of a further national survey in 2020.

Among the outcomes of the meeting was the agreement that EDCTP regional Networks of Excellence would work with Regional Economic Communities to enhance national capacities in EDCTP Participating States. EDCTP also committed to provide funding for the WHO-AFRO Africa Health Observatory to support data collection for calculating barometer scores.

The project is part of a wider partnership with WHO-AFRO, which also includes co-funding for 30 implementation research projects.