After months of careful gathering of the data, deciding the indicators, testing the codes, designing how the numbers will be translated into graphs and maps, consulting with governments across Africa, a new website - www.africanhealthstats.org is finally here.
The site is the brainchild of the African Union Commission’s Department of Social Affairs, and provides reliable data on the progress made by members towards their Maputo Plan of Action and Abuja Call commitments.
What you will see when you explore African Health Stats is a site which is both informative and beautiful. You will see an accessible, up-to-date and visually exciting website which details all the data for 33 indicators across four categories in Africa:
- Reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health
- HIV and AIDS
- Malaria and tuberculosis
- Health finance
For the first ever time, data for indicators tracking progress of the Maputo and Abuja commitments are gathered together on one site for all 54 African Union member states, in French or English.
These indicators are populated with internationally recognised and verified data to allow for easy comparison. Find out how the data are collected, and why these indicators matter, view alternative data sources and download graphs in numerous formats.
Importantly, African Health Stats is African-led – this is a tool for Africans to learn about what is happening in their country, to use this information to hold their government's accountable for commitments made.
The site also provides vital evidence for the African Union Commission to support and motivate governments and policy makers to take action on health challenges in the continent. It is powerful way of sharing experiences, best practices and lessons learnt.
The effort involved should not be underestimated and I pay tribute to all of our partners who contributed to the development of this fantastic website.Congratulations to the African Union for supporting its member states to learn from each other, so that all nations make the progress that Africans deserve. I encourage you to take the time to explore the site and share with colleagues - after all, the more people who have access to the latest evidence - and use it - the more lives we can save.
With acknowledgements to the partners who supported the development of African Health Stats