Strengthening Anaemia Data Systems in Africa: Challenges, Innovations, and Policy Opportunities
Abstract:
Anaemia is a major public-health
challenge in Africa, affecting over one-third of women of reproductive age and
nearly half of pregnant women (World Health Organization (WHO), 2025). Despite
global and continental commitments to halve anaemia by 2030, progress has
stalled, largely due to weak data systems that hinder timely, evidence-based
action. This paper reviews anaemia data in Africa, examining how indicators are
collected, integrated, and used within health-information systems. Drawing on the
literature, policy frameworks, and country examples, it explores opportunities
to strengthen surveillance through digital health innovations and governance
reforms. Findings reveal persistent fragmentation between surveys, routine
health systems, and laboratory data, leading to incomplete and delayed
reporting. Emerging solutions such as the District Health Information System
(DHIS2) nutrition modules, improved lab interoperability, mobile community
reporting, and regional scorecards offer practical integration pathways.
However, anaemia-specific indicators remain absent in several platforms,
including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Sexual, Reproductive,
Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (SRMNCAH) scorecard. Updating
these tools to align with WHO’s Comprehensive Framework and the African Union’s
Anaemia Reduction Framework (2023–2030) is critical. Strengthening anaemia data
systems requires investment in governance, interoperability, and analytical
capacity rather than creating parallel mechanisms. Embedding anaemia indicators
within existing digital-health infrastructures can transform fragmented data
into actionable intelligence, enabling governments to monitor progress, address
inequities, and accelerate reductions by 2030, contributing to the global
target of reducing anaemia among women of reproductive age by 50% from the 2012
baseline.
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