Announcing the Launch of HISP Africa

HISP leaders from across Africa gathered in Zanzibar, Tanzania, for the official launch of HISP Africa, an association encompassing HISP groups in West, Central, Southern, and East Africa, committed to bolstering information systems across the African continent.

The gathering, which was hosted by HISP Tanzania on 25-27 September 2024, included 16 collaborating HISP groups from across the continent: HISP Côte D’Ivoire, HISP Democratic Republic of the Congo, HISP Ethiopia, HISP Ghana, HISP Kenya, HISP UNIMA (University of Malawi), HISP Mali, HISP Mozambique (Saudigitus), HISP Nigeria, HISP Rwanda, HISP South Africa, HISP Tanzania, HISP Uganda, HISP West and Central Africa, and HISP Zimbabwe. The HISP Centre at the University of Oslo (HISP UiO) was represented at the meeting by Deputy Director Ola Titlestad.

During the event, participants were focused on developing a unified strategy for continental operations, finalizing the framework for a coordinated HISP Africa, and initiating operations with a shared vision and goals. The discussions emphasized building on past regional initiatives and leveraging the progress made by the regional hubs. The HISP group leads also drafted a work plan, outlining priorities and plans for the future.

Following these discussions, participants signed an official Memorandum of Understanding, committing HISP groups across Africa to collaborate on DHIS2 implementations, and marking the official launch of HISP Africa. The member groups agreed that HISP South Africa, represented by Dr. Sean Broomhead, will serve as the Chair; HISP UNIMA, represented by Dr. Tiwonge Manda, will be Vice Chair; and HISP Uganda, represented by Dr. Prosper Behumbiize, as the Secretariat, responsible for managing HISP Africa’s activities moving forward.

“HISP Africa is a dream come true,” Behumbiize said. “It’s one of the things that we’ve been looking forward to, as HISP groups in Africa. This is an opportunity for collaboration, as we have seen, and an opportunity for us to work together as a team. (…) I expect a lot of sharing, in terms of capacity building, in terms of innovation, in terms of training, in terms of resources. I expect a lot of exchanges, to be able to build each other up, and I expect a lot of support to our partners and the governments on the continent.”

“HISP Africa, for me, is a concept that’s taken a long time to develop, and we’re happy that the HISP groups in the different regions have come together to formulate a path toward a common purpose,” said Rangarirai Matavire, from HISP Zimbabwe. “Standardization, being able to have processes that are aligned across the continent, and being able to pool our resources toward much larger scale projects,” will be the most beneficial outcomes of the new HISP Africa hub, he said. “Working in silos is more expensive, but if we do things together, I think we can achieve more.” 

This launch represents the beginning of a new chapter for the HISP network, with stronger collaboration across the African continent. HISP UiO congratulates HISP Africa on the launch of this association, and looks forward to our continued collaboration as part of the global HISP network.

Learn more about HISP Africa at: https://hispafrica.org/