{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T06:09:28Z","timestamp":1778479768614,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778457600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Africa faces a shortage of health data scientists. Despite bearing 25% of the global disease burden, it has only 3% of the world\u2019s healthcare workforce and even less health data science expertise. As artificial intelligence and data science transform global healthcare, from disease surveillance to precision medicine, this capacity gap poses a significant threat to Africa\u2019s ability to address its health challenges and harness its growing young population for health innovation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We describe the WASHA Takwimu program, a multi-institutional capacity-building initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Data Science Initiative for Africa (DSI Africa) consortium. Operating through a hub-and-spoke model anchored by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, the project has spoke partners in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. The program delivers training through multiple modalities: master\u2019s degrees, postdoctoral fellowships, short courses, and professional development activities. The curriculum integrates data science methods with applications in global health priority domains, including health systems strengthening and food systems, climate change, and planetary health, using competency-based, application-focused, and digitally enhanced approaches.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>From 2020 to 2024, WASHA Takwimu (Kiswahili for \u201cIgnite Data\u201d) trained postdoctoral fellows, doctoral students, and other early-career researchers and practitioners across five African countries. The program has supported the development of a Master of Health Data Science program at UKZN and contributed to faculty capacity and curriculum development for a similar program at Makerere University. Key achievements include successful faculty exchanges replacing costly international student placements, integration of technological innovations in learning delivery, and strategic partnerships with national research and policy organizations which connect training to policy-relevant applications. Critical lessons have been learned regarding infrastructure constraints, data governance challenges, gender inequality in participation, and the importance of managing student expectations while maintaining rigorous entry requirements.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Implications<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>WASHA Takwimu demonstrates that network-based approaches combining graduate training, faculty development, and stakeholder engagement can build sustainable health data science capacity in Africa. The program\u2019s hub-and-spoke model offers a replicable framework balancing centralized coordination with distributed implementation, while the Master\u2019s programs provide adaptable templates for building similar educational offerings at other African institutions. However, consolidating current achievements must precede ambitious expansion. Strategic priorities include strengthening partnerships with national research councils and Ministries of Health, addressing persistent gender disparities, deepening private sector engagement, and progressively developing PhD programs. As Africa\u2019s population approaches 2.5 billion by 2050, investments in health data science capacity will prove essential for addressing continental health priorities and positioning African institutions as global leaders.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1820671","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T05:30:11Z","timestamp":1778477411000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Advancing AI and data science for health in Africa: education, collaboration, and applications for global health priorities"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Saloshni","family":"Naidoo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu Natal","place":["Durban, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cheng","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Henry","family":"Mwambi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Statistics, School of Agriculture and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal","place":["Pietermaritzburg, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Heather","family":"Mattie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nisha","family":"Nadesan-Reddy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu Natal","place":["Durban, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Guwatudde","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Makerere University","place":["Kampala, Uganda"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Candida","family":"Moshiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Social Sciences, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences","place":["Dar es Salaam, Tanzania"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chris","family":"Guure","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Ghana","place":["Accra, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Angela","family":"Chukwuu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Statistics, University of Ibadan","place":["Ibadan, Nigeria"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ina","family":"Danquah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn","place":["Bonn, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Isabel","family":"Madzorera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley","place":["Berkeley, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sandra","family":"Barteit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University","place":["Heidelberg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Onisimo","family":"Mutanga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Science, Discipline of Geography, University of KwaZulu-Natal","place":["Pietermaritzburg, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mosa","family":"Moshabela","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal","place":["Durban, South Africa"]},{"name":"University of Cape Town","place":["Cape Town, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Till","family":"B\u00e4rnighausen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University","place":["Heidelberg, Germany"]},{"name":"Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI)","place":["KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa"]},{"name":"Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies","place":["Cambridge, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wafaie","family":"Fawzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e70312","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.70312","article-title":"The impact of artificial intelligence on healthcare: a comprehensive review of advancements in diagnostics, treatment, and operational efficiency","volume":"8","author":"Faiyazuddin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Health Sci Rep"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"689","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-023-04698-z","article-title":"Revolutionizing healthcare: the role of artificial intelligence in clinical practice","volume":"23","author":"Alowais","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Med Educ"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"World Population Prospects 2024: Summary of Results","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6084","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-023-41809-2","article-title":"The promise of data science for health research in Africa","volume":"14","author":"Adebamowo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nat Commun"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5694","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-025-61104-6","article-title":"Health data issues in Africa: time for digitization, standardization and harmonization","volume":"16","author":"Degoot","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nat Commun"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"710","DOI":"10.1038\/415710a","article-title":"Satellite imagery in the study and forecast of malaria","volume":"415","author":"Rogers","year":"2002","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1531141","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2025.1531141","article-title":"Leveraging AI to optimize vaccines supply chain and logistics in Africa: opportunities and challenges","volume":"16","author":"Musa","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Pharmacol"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"710961","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2021.710961","article-title":"A roadmap for building data science capacity for health discovery and innovation in Africa","volume":"9","author":"Beyene","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1418382","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1418382","article-title":"Current data science capacity building initiatives for health researchers in LMICs: global & regional efforts","volume":"12","author":"Kiosia","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1474947","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1474947","article-title":"A collaborative approach to advancing research and training in public health data science\u2014challenges, opportunities, and lessons learnt","volume":"12","author":"Abade","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1054","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aaa2709","article-title":"Big data meets public health","volume":"346","author":"Khoury","year":"2014","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.3389\/fgene.2019.00331","article-title":"Expanding research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa through informatics, bioinformatics, and data science training programs in Mali","volume":"10","author":"Shaffer","year":"2019","journal-title":"Front Genet"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1820671\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T05:30:11Z","timestamp":1778477411000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1820671\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]]},"references-count":12,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1820671"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1820671","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]]},"article-number":"1820671"}}