IDRC - International Development Research Centre

Published purpose

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.