The first Africa Health Data Forum opened in Nairobi on 10 November, bringing together more than 300 participants from 51 countries as the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that health information systems in its African Region score only 59 out of 100 for maturity, WHO Africa said on 11 November.
The three-day forum, running until 12 November under the theme “Better Data, Better Health for All,” is convened by WHO, the Kenya Digital Health Agency and Kenya’s Ministry of Health. It brings together countries from WHO’s African and Eastern Mediterranean regions and will meet every two years to review progress.
What the Africa Health Data Forum heard
WHO launched a report, The Maturity and Functionality of Health Information Systems in the WHO African Region, based on a 2024 assessment of 40 of the region’s 47 member states, which gave an overall maturity score of 59 out of 100. WHO also launched a Regional Health Data Hub in August 2026.
“Africa’s health data must be owned, governed, and used by African countries in the interests of their people,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a video message.
WHO Regional Director for Africa Prof. Mohamed Yakub Janabi said: “Good data turns alarms into actions.” Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, Director of Programme Management at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, added: “A budget allocation is a commitment to the public.”
Kenya’s data in the Ebola response
Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said: “For Kenya, digitization and data are not simple enablers. They are the backbone of our universal health coverage.” He said Kenya plans a National Intelligence and Analytics Centre under its Digital Health Agency.
WHO said Kenya traced all 135 contacts of its first Bundibugyo Ebola case, and the eight contacts who later tested positive were already in quarantine, an example of how timely data can contain an outbreak.
Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said: “For UNICEF, behind every data, there is a child.” Aboubakri Diaw, Chief of Staff at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, added: “A child who is not counted is a child who is not planned for.”
Why health data matter
Health information systems collect data on births, deaths, diseases, services and resources. Good systems help governments plan budgets, buy the right medicines, deploy staff, detect outbreaks early and measure whether programmes work. Weak systems mean decisions are made with incomplete or outdated information.
Many African countries rely on paper registers, delayed reporting and fragmented digital platforms that do not share data. Civil registration of births and deaths is incomplete in many countries, so maternal and child deaths may go uncounted.
The Africa Health Data Forum is intended to address these gaps by sharing experience between countries, agreeing common standards and encouraging investment. Countries with stronger systems, such as Kenya and Rwanda, have expanded electronic records and community reporting, offering lessons for others.
Health workers often bear the burden of weak data systems, filling in multiple registers and reports for different programmes. Integrated digital tools can reduce this workload and free time for patient care.
Participants also discussed artificial intelligence and analytics, which can help predict outbreaks and plan resources, but only if underlying data are complete and reliable.
Funding partners including UNICEF and the UN Economic Commission for Africa joined WHO in calling for stronger national investment.
Recent events show the risks. In Ghana, national health information platforms, including DHIMS2, went offline last month after a cloud provider switched off servers over an unpaid bill, and Nigeria’s health ministers this week urged officials to “make the data count” at the country’s Joint Annual Review.
Ownership and protection
Data sovereignty, the principle that countries control their own health data, was a key theme. As more data move to cloud platforms and digital health records, governments must set rules on storage, privacy and sharing, and fund the systems from domestic budgets.
Digital health records and data exchange can also improve care for patients with chronic conditions, by making histories and test results available when patients move between facilities.
The Africa Health Data Forum is expected to agree priorities for strengthening national systems. Its success will be measured by whether countries invest in data systems, train staff and use the data to make decisions that improve health.
The next Africa Health Data Forum is planned in two years, when countries are expected to report on progress.
Why it matters: African health systems scored 59 of 100 for data maturity, and weak data mean missed outbreaks, wasted budgets and uncounted deaths.
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