Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
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To describe and analyse research output from surveyed national health research institutions in Africa. ⋯ The research output of health research institutions in the Region is significant, but more effort is needed to strengthen research capacity, including human and financial resources.
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To identify key data sources of health information and describe their availability in countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region. ⋯ A multitude of data sources are used to track progress towards health-related goals in the Region, with heavy reliance on household surveys for most indicators. Countries need to develop comprehensive national plans for health information that address the full range of data needs and data sources and that include provision for building national capacities for data generation, analysis, dissemination and use.