On Tuesday, December 8th from 3-5pm EAT (Nairobi), the East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community and the University of California San Francisco co-led the first webinar in a series entitled “Accelerating Evidence to Use in Policy and Programs.” 

Over 100 people attended the webinar series launch, which featured a discussion about the state of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) systems, services, and priorities in the region. The event also highlighted stakeholder perspectives across a range of topics to be featured in the forthcoming webinar series, which include: family planning; high quality and respectful maternal services; nutrition and WASH vulnerabilities among the urban poor; and data-informed policy approaches to ending violence against children. 

The series launch brought together esteemed speakers from across sub-Saharan Africa, including:

• Professor Yoswa Dambisya, Director General for the East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community
• Dr. Julitta Onabanjo, Regional Director of UNFPA East and Southern Africa
• Ruth N Galabuzi, President of the Professional Urban Planners of East Africa
• Gabriele Fontana, Regional Health Advisor of UNICEF East and Southern Africa
• Timothy Opobo, Executive Director of Africhild

In addition to our featured speakers, panelists representing country governments and multilateral efforts convened to discuss the policies needed to impact RMNCAH systems and the implications of COVID-19. This important dialogue and other sections of the webinar can be viewed online at the Implementation Science Collaborative’s Youtube Channel. Click here to visit the ISC Youtube Channel and view the full webinar >