Addressing the need for an operational research framework for Africa

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which supports all 55 member states (MS) in Africa, was established to strengthen the capacity and capability of Africa's public health institutions to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks based on science, policy, and data-driven interventions and programmes. This function is drawn from the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which adopted the statute of the Africa CDC in January 2016 and implemented it in mid-2017. Africa desperately needs an operational research (OR) framework for all 55 MS. The OR framework's strategic aim is to strengthen the capacity to initiate, design and implement OR during disease outbreaks and emergencies. The framework, with support from the Africa CDC, will therefore provide a concise guide to institutional structures, procedures and standards, as well as an outline of methodologies and tools for conducting OR that is context-specific, while promoting the use of generated evidence for policy and decision makers. Drawing on expert reviews, we present here the need for the OR framework and the process of its development for research during public health emergencies in Africa.