The African Health Observatory – Platform on Health Systems and Policies (AHOP) is a regional partnership to promote evidence-informed policy-making. The Platform is hosted by the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) which serves as the regional secretariat. The partnership leverages existing national and regional collaborations to form a network of National Centres across the region. These currently include research institutions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal with further expansion planned. AHOP draws on support from a technical consortium including the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and national, regional and global partners.
The Platform is focused on the generation and exchange of knowledge and evidence for health systems and policy development in the African region. The research agenda, informed by national, regional and global expertise, serves to recognise the value of looking comparatively to strengthen health systems. In concert, evidence informs policy through activities that serve to enhance supply and demand of health systems evidence.
Our research and engagement activities are country-led and regionally coordinated. Partners produce a range of health systems analysis that is tailored to evidence for action. This includes reviews of country health systems, policy briefs, policy dialogues, and comparative thematic studies. Our approach adapts and builds on the health systems observatory model tested in other regions.
Knowledge generation and effective translation are universal challenges which demand local, contextualised solutions. Our objective is to bridge the evidence-to-policy divide. By synthesising existing research and generating new evidence on health systems, the Platform aims to enhance effective knowledge exchange and support improved health policy-making at country, regional and global level.
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African Health Observatory Platform
