Harnessing data for Africa’s brain health future, post

Harnessing data for Africa’s brain health future

Following his participation in the G20 South Africa Ministerial Side Meeting on Brain Health, co-hosted by the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative and the Science for Africa Foundation, Professor Eustasius Musenge, Biostatistician and SSACAB Co-Principal Investigator, shared his reflections on how data science can transform Africa’s health future. In our conversation on our flagship “5 minutes with SSACAB”, Professor Musenge noted that the meeting was not only about neuroscience but also about long-term strategy. “Whether in infectious diseases, non-communicable conditions, or brain health, the ability to model and predict outcomes will define Africa’s research sovereignty,” he said.

He explained that the new Five-Year African Brain Health Action Plan calls for stronger data infrastructure to address the cognitive, economic, and developmental challenges facing the continent. For Professor Musenge, this vision aligns closely with SSACAB’s mission to build biostatistical capacity and equip African researchers to design, analyse and interpret complex health data that are both globally rigorous and locally relevant.

Why this matters
Brain health underpins learning, creativity and productivity. These are the building blocks of human and economic capital. Yet Africa’s ability to measure, monitor and improve brain health still depends on the quality and ownership of its data. Building skilled cohorts of biostatisticians, data managers, and modellers is therefore a technical exercise and an act of self-determination. By embedding evidence-based approaches in policy and research, initiatives like SSACAB ensure that Africa contributes to global knowledge while leading the interpretation of its own story. Professor Musenge’s reflections remind us that every dataset can help shape a future where health, knowledge and innovation are generated, led and owned by Africans.