Kambugu Andrew, Ayebare Rodgers R, Kakooza Francis, Kiragga Agnes, Tsegaye Aster, Yeboah Georgina, Mbabazi Leah, Muwonge Tonny, Shaweno Tamrat, Dereje Nebiyu, Gonese Elizabeth, Fallah Mosoka P, Raji Tajudeen, Ngongo Ngashi, Kaseya Jean
Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Global Health Security Programme, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
J Public Health Afr. 2025 Apr 16;16(1):780. doi: 10.4102/jphia.v16i1.780. eCollection 2025.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant challenges in Africa, including weak health systems, misinformation, limited vaccine access, and a lack of local data. Effective country-level leadership, coordination, and communication were crucial in addressing these multifaceted challenges.
The Program for Research on Vaccine Effectiveness (PROVE) was established to address these challenges by fostering international partnerships and advancing scientific knowledge generation toward implementing the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's New Public Health Order.
The PROVE program is a collaborative initiative under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative of Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation. It brings together a diverse network of researchers and policymakers from National Public Health Institutions and academia across Africa.
The programme employs a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and analysis of existing data, along with capacity-building efforts.
The PROVE program has achieved several significant results, including: developing evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen DHIS2 and other data systems; strengthening the capacity of National Public Health Institutions; fostering collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and public health professionals; and promoting the use of local data for evidence-informed decision-making.
The PROVE programme's collaborative approach is a valuable initiative with the potential to improve evidence generation and utilisation in Africa. By encouraging collaboration, knowledge generation and building capacity of local scientists in implementation science, the initiative helps address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and builds resilience against future public health emergencies.
This paper describes PROVE's innovative approaches to generating new knowledge, developing practical approaches, and building capacity among African researchers in collaboration with policymakers.
新冠疫情暴露出非洲面临的重大挑战，包括卫生系统薄弱、错误信息传播、疫苗获取受限以及缺乏本地数据。有效的国家层面领导、协调和沟通对于应对这些多方面挑战至关重要。
设立疫苗有效性研究项目（PROVE）以应对这些挑战，通过促进国际伙伴关系以及推动科学知识生成，以实现非洲疾病控制与预防中心的新公共卫生秩序。
PROVE项目是非洲疾病控制中心与万事达基金会“拯救生命与生计”倡议下的一项合作举措。它汇聚了来自非洲各国国家公共卫生机构和学术界的众多研究人员和政策制定者。
该项目采用多种定性和定量研究方法，包括调查、访谈、焦点小组以及对现有数据的分析，同时开展能力建设工作。
PROVE项目取得了多项显著成果，包括：制定基于证据的政策建议以加强DHIS2和其他数据系统；增强国家公共卫生机构的能力；促进研究人员、政策制定者和公共卫生专业人员之间的合作；推动利用本地数据进行基于证据的决策。
PROVE项目的合作方式是一项具有价值的举措，有潜力改善非洲的证据生成和利用情况。通过鼓励合作、知识生成以及培养本地科学家在实施科学方面的能力，该举措有助于应对新冠疫情带来的挑战，并增强应对未来公共卫生突发事件的韧性。
本文描述了PROVE在与政策制定者合作过程中生成新知识、开发实用方法以及培养非洲研究人员能力方面的创新方法。
