Answers to common questions

The Health Intelligence Centre for Africa is a country-owned institution that supports African nations to turn health data into timely, accurate decisions that improve health. It is built by countries, for countries.

Health ministers govern it. A Strategic Advisory Board of Ministers of Health and public health leaders sets direction and provides oversight; a Technical Advisory Group offers independent expert guidance; and a Secretariat runs day-to-day operations.

A maternal death exposes every weakness in a health system at once — the missing data, the broken referral chain, the budget that missed where the need was. Fix the intelligence system for maternal health and you strengthen it for everything else.

Countries do. HICA works so that countries define their own priorities, own and control their data, and set the terms for any data-sharing arrangement — with technology partners, research institutions, or international agencies.

By co-developing the governance frameworks, oversight bodies, and audit mechanisms that turn data-protection law into genuine enforcement — determining who can access health data, on what terms, and who is accountable.

Yes — AI and predictive modelling are applied under national oversight. Because models trained on data from other contexts may not reflect African disease patterns or health-system realities, they must operate within governance structures with accountability built in.

Countries request support, and HICA accompanies them across five reinforcing functions: governing data, building the workforce, connecting data systems, turning evidence into decisions, and learning across borders.

A permanent, nationally owned analytics unit embedded in the ministry of health — the institutional home for data professionals and the tools they use. HICA aims to establish or strengthen these in 5–10 countries.

Through the Africa Network of Health Data Institutes and structured peer networks — a country that has solved a problem its neighbour faces holds precisely the knowledge that accelerates progress.

Reach the Centre through the contact page to discuss partnerships, programmes, or how HICA can support your country.

HICA supports accredited training, residencies inside ministries, and structured mentorship to develop a skilled cadre of health data professionals working inside country systems.