By Teresiah Mukera, Communications Officer, Aga Khan University

The UtiliZe health Information for Meaningful impact in East Africa through Data Science (UZIMA-DS Hub), held its in-person annual meeting in Naivasha, Kenya, from March 5 – 7, 2025. The meeting, held annually, brings together the Hub members from the Aga Khan University, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), the University of Michigan, and other stakeholders including the Kenyan Ministry of Health to share project updates and ideas to drive the mission and vision of the Hub.

The UZIMA-DS Hub is made possible thanks to the partnership between the Aga Khan University (AKU) and the University of Michigan. Such partnerships can enhance the development of quality and contextual solutions to health problems in Africa.

This was reflected in the opening remarks of Dr Tania Bubela, the Provost and Vice President Academic at AKU, who opined that: “Partnerships like this, between AKU and the University of Michigan, broaden the reach and the impact of our work to improve healthcare quality in Africa, which is a focal point for the Aga Khan University.”

Founded to improve Mental Health and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Africa, the Hub’s initiatives seek to promote early detection and prediction of poor health outcomes for at-risk mothers and children and take timely action to improve their overall health. It aims to do this by incorporating the use of data and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning approaches.

“We went into this partnership because of a common purpose and a common good. We came together to help improve the quality of healthcare in Africa by driving innovations that ensure current and future generations of Africans, including vulnerable and at-risk populations, can achieve Uzima (wellbeing),” Joseph (Joe) Kolars, Director of the Centre for Global Health Equity.

Executing Innovation

The UZIMA-DS Hub utilises data to achieve evidence-based solutions that are relevant to the African society. The Hub has been fortunate enough to work with a brilliant data team that includes experts in statistics, computer science, and informatics who analyse data, making it not only understandable but also visually compelling. Notably, the UZIMA-DS Hub is a pioneer in advanced data management, fully leveraging cloud technologies to manage big data and build AI models. This is especially impactful in low- and middle-income countries such as Kenya, which often face limitations in expertise and resources. Through its Sustainable Cloud Operations for Research and Environmental Impact (SCORE-EI) project—an administrative supplement—the UZIMA-DS Hub is further advancing this innovation by building good practices for designing efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally-responsible cloud-based data pipelines, by Africa and for Africa.  

Data for Good Storytelling

At UZIMA-DS, we strive to ensure that our research work not only positively impacts the communities we serve; but is also understood by the community. This led to the hub’s initiative with the KWTRP in July 2024, to start a radio show series. The series is aired on Msenangu Fm, a community radio station that is based in the Kenyan coast. The Hub has aired over 20 episodes, creating awareness on mental health; maternal, new-born and child health. The episodes target community members in Kenya’s coastal region, especially in Kilifi County where the hub is conducting studies around maternal, new-born and child health. To promote audience engagement, each episode provides an opportunity for listeners to ask pertinent questions by calling, and texting (including through social media platforms Facebook, X, and LinkedIn) the radio station during the live show. This has created a good rapport and built trust with the community members.

Envisioning UZIMA 2.0

Moving forward, the UZIMA-DS hub plans to find innovative African-centred solutions for the challenges in maternal, newborn and child health, and mental health in Africa.

In her remarks, Prof Amina Abubakar, UZIMA-DS Co-Principal Investigator and Director, Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University said, “ While we conduct separate research for Mental Health and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, we need to think through the possible touchpoints in the available data to look at where these two intersect and explore innovative approaches that we can create to develop integrated care pathways for better health outcomes in our continent.”

Prof Akbar Waljee, UZIMA-DS Co-Principal Investigator and the Assistant Dean for Global Health Research at the University of Michigan emphasized, “We are at a critical point in this project, when we must focus on design solutions to the challenges we have identified in the available data and analyse since we began this project. That will help us set our priorities for the future of Africa’s healthcare systems.”

Thus far, the successes and milestones of the UZIMA-DS Hub are a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation and passion for quality healthcare in Africa.