Health data science revolution in Africa: potential for addressing the myriad health challenges

A. Kofi Amegah, Catherine Kyobutungi, Emile R. Chimusa*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debatepeer-review

Abstract

Africa carries a disproportionate share of the global burden of disease. The potential for data science to spur health discoveries and catalyze innovation is enormous, offering new opportunities for Africa to circumvent its complex health challenges. This commentary intends to provide actionable recommendations to scientists, communities, and development partners, including science funders, governments, and private sectors, on what needs to be done on the African continent to realize this potential, building on a recent activity harnessing the expertise of African data scientists towards a collection of papers to be published across the Nature portfolio journals.
Original languageEnglish
Article number10919
Number of pages5
JournalNature Communications
Volume16
Issue number1
Early online date4 Dec 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Dec 2025

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