African Population and Health Research Center

20/02/2026

Behind every staff member is a story of purpose, passion, and a commitment to transforming lives in Africa through evidence.

But what inspires them to join the Center? What keeps that fire burning?

In this month’s Take 5, Beyond the Desk, HIRAM KARIUKI, Research Officer in the Research and Related Capacity Strengthening Program, shares his inspiring journey. You don’t want to miss this!

📹 Watch the teaser now and stay tuned for the full story.

20/02/2026

This week, participated in the Health Apps International Conference held at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in collaboration with the University of Warwick and the University of Nairobi.

Discussions focused on regulating cross-border health data transfers through consumer-facing digital health apps and advancing harmonized digital health regulations across Sub-Saharan Africa.

's Daniel Mtai Mwanga served as a panelist in a session on strategies for co-creating regulations for digital health applications in Africa, while Bonface Butichi Ingumba spoke on harmonization of guidelines and regulations for digital health applications.

The team also showcased APHRC’s privacy enhancing technologies, including DASSA, the microdata portal, a low/no-code data anonymization dashboard, and the data governance curriculum.

Strengthening digital health innovation must go hand in hand with strong, coherent governance frameworks.

20/02/2026

AI holds significant promise for strengthening health systems in Africa and Asia, but realizing this potential depends on credible evidence to guide adoption and investment decisions.

Through the just launched Evidence for AI in Health (EVAH) initiative, supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and Wellcome, APHRC will work in partnership with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and local research teams to generate practical, policy-relevant insights that support responsible and equitable use of AI in healthcare.

By combining APHRC’s regional networks and implementation experience with J-PAL’s global expertise in evaluation, the initiative aims to ensure AI investments translate into measurable improvements in health outcomes for communities.

APHRC brings to the partnership more than two decades of experience and partnerships in health systems research, data science, impact evaluation, and policy engagement at national, regional, and international levels.

The first EVAH initiative call for proposals is now open, focusing on AI decision support tools for frontline community and primary health workers. The call is open to researchers or innovators in digital and AI tools for primary health care based in Africa or Asia.

Apply before April 1, 2026.
Read more: https://buff.ly/o6hgrRK

20/02/2026

APHRC today joined global partners in launching the $60M Evidence for AI in Health (EVAH) Initiative to guide responsible use of AI in health care at the ongoing AI summit in India.

EVAH is a joint initiative by the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation to generate credible, policy-relevant evidence to support health system decision-making across Africa and Asia.

The EVAH Initiative is a global effort to evaluate AI tools in health care and help governments and partners understand what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
APHRC is joining the EVAH initiative as an African delivery partner, working alongside the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).

As delivery partners, APHRC and J-PAL will coordinate the application and review process and support study design and evidence synthesis in collaboration with locally led research teams. APHRC will also map priority AI tools across Africa, assess regulatory contexts, strengthen regional capacity, and translate findings into practical guidance for policymakers.

👉Read for more details: https://buff.ly/PnkZfI9

February 20, 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | New Delhi, India: The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) today announced [...]Read More...

19/02/2026

What began as an effort to strengthen Kenya’s education research through locally led collaboration has now grown into a broader African movement focused on improving how education evidence is generated, supported, and put into practice.

With the official launch of Harnessing Education Research for Impact in Africa (HERI Africa), APHRC reaffirms its commitment to ensuring research informs policy decisions and classroom practice across the continent.

19/02/2026

As the AI space continues to evolve globally, its true impact will be realized when it is grounded in people, responsive to context, and aligned to development priorities.

The future of AI should be built on evidence, equity, and responsible innovation.
remains committed to advancing Africa-led AI solutions, conversations, partnerships, and systems for sustainable impact.

Watch this space for big conversations, bold collaborations, and exciting work ahead.

19/02/2026

Today, participated in the official launch of the Harnessing Education Research for Impact in Africa (HERI Africa) Initiative at Kisii University, Kenya.

During the event, ’s Dr. Moses Ngware presented the National Education Research Agenda, highlighting the importance of aligning education research with national priorities, strengthening coordination across institutions, and ensuring that evidence informs policy, planning, and practice.

The National Education Research Agenda is a critical step toward transforming Kenya’s education research ecosystem, making it more responsive, impactful, and grounded in local realities.

APHRC is excited to contribute to this initiative that places African-led research at the centre of education transformation.

19/02/2026

Earlier this week, held an inception meeting at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, one of the Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) partner institutions, to strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Adaptation (MELA) systems.

The engagement, led by ’s Nancy Kiarie and Ernest Kirui, focused on building a collaborative partnership, reviewing existing MELA frameworks, identifying strengths and gaps, and aligning on priority capacity needs.

At the end of the convening, a practical roadmap was co-designed, to guide the ongoing technical support anchored in institutional priorities and long-term impact.

, with support from the Mastercard Foundation, is providing technical accompaniment to enhance institutional capacity for evidence generation, adaptive management, and results reporting across AHC institutions.

19/02/2026

Register and join us today for the launch of the Kenya Retail Assessment!

The increasing rate of obesity and diet-related diseases in Kenya is often framed as a matter of personal responsibility, "eat better, choose wisely." But do consumers know how much their choices are being shaped before they even reach the shelf?

From what products are stocked, to how they're priced, placed, and marketed, retailers may be quietly curating our diets every time we walk through their doors.

The Kenya Retail Assessment takes a closer look at three of the country's leading retailers: Naivas Ltd, MAF Carrefour, and QuickMart Ltd, exploring how national food retail can better support healthier diets.

This online event is organized in partnership with the Access to Nutrition Initiative

📅 Date: 19 February 2026
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM CET | 3:00 PM EAT

✅ Register here: https://buff.ly/dVRYyfw

18/02/2026

AI alone will not transform society, collaboration will.

At the ongoing AI Impact Summit in India, joined global partners in a CivicDataLab session on Data & AI Collaboratives for Public Good.

The message is clear: the biggest barrier to AI impact is not technology, it is the lack of collaboration.

’s Dr. Agnes Kiragga emphasized that collaboration itself is infrastructure. She shared examples of ’s collaborative programs:Countdown to 2030 Initiative and the Data Science Without Borders programme, which are making population and health data more accessible to communities and decision-makers.

Key takeaways from the discussion:
✅ Responsible AI is built on trust, shared governance, and collective benefit not just models and computing power.
✅ Achieving AI for social good requires last-mile AI solutions and incentives across governments, researchers, and communities.
✅ Data and AI collaboratives can only succeed when guided by responsible and sovereign data governance.
✅ The biggest barriers to data sharing are often social, institutional, and capacity-related, not only technical.

AI will be more impactful when we build partnerships and see collaboration as a core function, not an afterthought.

18/02/2026

Earlier this week, participated in a public forum hosted by the Meru County Department of Health,Kenya.

The public participation forum provided stakeholders and the community members an opportunity to share their views on the proposed County Health Research Policy, marking an important step in its development.

The proposed policy aims to streamline research processes, strengthen ethical oversight, and ensure research evidence informs planning and decision-making. With this policy, Meru County is laying a strong foundation for more accountable, community-centered health research.

This is part of ’s British Academy - funded project that is strengthening the use of evidence in policy and decision-making at the county level in Kenya.

18/02/2026

Africa is feeding more children — and nutrition must grow alongside this progress.

School feeding programs reach over 3.8 million learners in Rwanda and over 2.6 million in Kenya daily. This scale reflects strong political commitment and is already improving school attendance and retention.

Through ’s engagements with policymakers, schools, and local food system actors under the Catalyzing Change for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems (CCHeFS) project, supported by IDRC and the Rockefeller Foundation, one message is clear: as programs expand, strengthening diet quality must happen alongside scale.

Menus are often centered on staple foods, with opportunities to further improve dietary diversity and micronutrient adequacy.

School feeding programs have the potential to deliver even greater impact when meals are designed not only to fill stomachs, but to nourish and support healthy growth and learning. Embedding nutrition standards, supplier training, and food safety guidance into implementation will help ensure school meals deliver stronger nutrition outcomes for every child.