About CEBHA

Aim of the project

Attainment of the Millennium Development health related Goals:


The main objectives derived from this aim will include:

  • supporting African health systems to build health policies, practice and public health strategies on informed and evidence based decisions
  • strengthen the African healthcare workforce
  • promoting the use of the best available evidence in clinical healthcare and individual patient care
  • fostering South-South cooperation with a view to strengthening the scientific capacity for health systems/health policy research
  • promote local ownership of the entire process from priority setting to implementation


The specific objectives are:

  1. Collaboration for sustainability between and within countries between researchers, policy makers and practitioners, building on each other’s successes and existing capacity for a long-term impact.
  2. Capacity building and training of researchers, health workers (clinicians), public health specialists, librarians, ICT specialists and policy makers in finding, assessing and applying the best available evidence to improve policies and clinical practice  and to stabilize the workforce of educated health personnel.
  3. Research, monitoring and evaluation to optimize the uptake of EBHC in practice. The consortium will stimulate and establish inter- and intra-country comparisons, studies on guideline development processes; best-practice dissemination of clinical guidelines and best practice and monitoring and evaluation of rolled out programs for their uptake, impact and potential barriers.
  4. Curriculum development and integration. There is general consensus in the academic community that evidence-based medicine (EBM) teaching is essential. Experts agree that EBM should be a mandatory skill for postgraduate training and continuing medical education.  To establish teaching and training of the EBM methodology in all health educations will ensure sustainability of the project and a more rational way of handling health care problems in Africa for the future.
  5. Evidence development.  This work package will have 3 components;
    a.) Systematic reviews. Setting priorities for research synthesis and evidence summaries in cooperation with the Cochrane and Campbell Collaboration, WHO and other international EBM networks.  Development of systematic reviews and research synthesis based on qualitative and quantitative research findings for the healthcare setting in Africa. The consortium partners will distinguish the main priorities and gaps for healthcare issues on a national/ regional level.
    b.) Clinical guideline development and adaptation of guidelines to African settings in cooperation with partners in Guidelines International Network (G-I-N); Guidelines constitute the link between research evidence and practice. Good international evidence based guidelines will be prioritized and adapted to the local context. 
    c.) Policy briefs will be developed and promoted as a local and regional communication tool to translate knowledge into health policies, building on the initiative of SURE, SUPPORT and EPIVNet
  6. Access to evidence based resources. Access to updated research and best available evidence to all primary and secondary healthcare facilities and health workers will be given in rural and urban settings by the establishment of an African Electronic Library.
  7. Dissemination and implementation of evidence. A framework for dissemination and implementation of evidence based health care will be established to increase awareness of effective interventions as well as the potential gains from using research based knowledge in policy and practice.
  8. Communication, advocacy and networking. Advocacy and networking to stimulate uptake and spread of evidence at different levels will be a core strategy to inform health workers and policy makers at different levels. Amid persistent data showing that many patients do not receive guideline-based care, we will capitalize on the rapid spread of telecommunication infrastructure and uptake of mobile phones in the region to disseminate evidence-based guidelines.