14/09/2025
Strengthening Africa’s Health Research Agenda
2 weeks ago, Malawi, through the support of Africa CDC, convened a five-day National Health Research Prioritization Workshop bringing together key stakeholders from government, academia, civil society, and implementing partners.
Africa, home to 20% of the world’s population yet burdened with 25% of global disease, has long faced a research paradigm driven more by donor interests than local needs. To change this, Africa CDC has developed a Health Research Prioritization Framework—a methodological, multi-stakeholder approach to define national health research priorities that collectively inform the African continental agenda and contribute to Agenda 2063.
Workshop Objectives:
1. Define priority diseases and health conditions with critical knowledge gaps.
2. Identify gaps in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and determinants of health.
3. Develop research questions to generate evidence for impactful solutions.
4. Draft a roadmap for short-, medium-, and long-term research.
âś… Expected Outcomes
1. A comprehensive list of Malawi’s national health research priorities.
2. Clear definition of high-level knowledge gaps per priority disease/condition.
3. A roadmap to guide future research, aligned with continental health security goals.
4. This marks a significant step toward ensuring African-priority, impact-driven research that responds to the needs of our communities.
đź‘Ź CREAMS is honored to collaborate in this process alongside the Public Health Institute of Malawi - Research Division, Africa CDC, and fellow partners. Together, we are shaping a future where evidence directly drives policies, interventions, and sustainable health outcomes.
