Public health policies are crucial in safeguarding the well-being of communities, particularly in low and middle-income regions like Africa, where social, political, environmental, and economic conditions create numerous health vulnerabilities.
The challenges range from infectious diseases like Ebola virus disease, yellow fever, tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory disorders, and cancers, which are often exacerbated by high-risk behaviours like tobacco use.
Developing and implementing effective public health interventions require an understanding of these issues and collaborative efforts that go beyond traditional boundaries. While there are established frameworks for stakeholder engagement, there still remains little progress for multi-sector collaboration in most African countries. For instance, in some African countries, critical and interrelated sectors like nutrition, tobacco control, and other public health issues are regulated by separate ministries like health, trade, and treasury. This disjointed approach hinders the potential synergies that could be achieved by coordinating efforts and aligning policies around common public health goals.
This paper explores the dynamics of multi-stakeholder collaboration with the aim of understanding how diverse stakeholders in Africa can effectively work together to develop evidence-driven and contextually relevant public health interventions. It provides insights into the challenges, opportunities, and best practices surrounding collaborative efforts in African public health.