London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The Unit in collaboration with the West African Network for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM), co-organised a two-day Pan-African meeting on Health and Clinical Trials Data Sharing in Abuja. Hosted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the meeting brought together researchers, ministries of health, and partners such as WAHO, ECOWAS and Gates Foundation.

At a time when Africa’s health data landscape is largely fragmented with barriers to effective data sharing, it provided a platform for participants to share experiences, identify common challenges, and explore practical, Africa-led solutions to strengthen systems for research and public health decision-making.

Drawing its experience through WANETAM and the Health Data Research West Africa (HDRWA) platform, the Unit played a central role in shaping discussions on building an effective data management ecosystem. These discussions emphasised the importance of collaboration, capacity strengthening, and sustainable systems that support data generation, storage, and sharing across institutions within the region.

A highlight of the meeting was the proposed federated model for data sharing, which allows data to remain under national or institutional control while enabling the secure exchange of insights across borders. This approach promotes data sovereignty, strengthens trust, and enhances the ability of African researchers to generate evidence for policy and practice.

The meeting also explored the expansion of HDRWA into a continental platform, Health Data Research Africa (HDRA) to support a more integrated data ecosystem.

The convening concluded with a shared commitment to a five-year roadmap focused on strengthening governance, building technical capacity, and promoting sustainable financing. Through its leadership, the Unit continues to play a pivotal role in advancing data-driven research and supporting resilient health systems across Africa.