Stakeholders Call For Implementation Research In Strengthening Health Systems
By: Damilola Fajinmi
Health experts have emphasised the importance of implementation research (IR) in strengthening health systems and improving the real-world impact of health interventions across Africa.
This call was the focus of discussions at the EDCTP-supported SAVING (Sustainable Access and Delivery of New Vaccines in Ghana) Consortium dissemination and South–South collaboration workshop on implementation research, organised by the Academy for Health Development (AHEAD) in Abuja.
The one-and-a-half-day event brought together stakeholders from Nigeria and Ghana, including representatives of ministries of health, regulatory agencies, academic institutions, and research organisations, to share findings and lessons from the SAVING project.
Why Effective Interventions Underperform at Scale
Speaking at the event, the Principal Investigator and Chair of the SAVING Consortium, Prof. Margaret Gyapong, said implementation research is critical to understanding why proven health interventions often fail to deliver expected outcomes when scaled within routine health systems.
Gyapong, a Professor of Applied Health Social Science, noted that implementation research improves programme effectiveness by responding to local context, optimising resource use, and enhancing equity across populations.
Implementation Research in Real-World Settings Presentations at the workshop highlighted how implementation research differs from traditional research conducted in controlled environments.
Speakers explained that IR operates within real-life health system settings, where policy shifts, workforce limitations, and system constraints directly influence outcomes.
In a joint presentation titled Overview of Implementation Research, Prof. Olumide Ogundahunsi and Prof. Tuoyo Okorosobo, members of the SAVING Consortium, described IR as “a systematic approach to understanding and addressing barriers to effective and quality implementation of health interventions, strategies, and policies.”
Stakeholder Engagement and Evidence Use Discussions also emphasised the importance of stakeholder engagement.
Participants noted that implementation research is most effective when researchers, implementers, policymakers, regulators, and community stakeholders jointly frame research questions and adapt interventions to local needs.
Experts observed that IR helps bridge the gap between evidence and practice by generating context-specific data that supports timely decision-making within health systems.
Capacity Building and Future Plans
Also speaking, the President of the Academy for Health Development (AHEAD), Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, announced that the next implementation research training workshop is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.
Fatusi, a Professor of Community Medicine, said the programme would promote interdisciplinary dialogue, encourage the sharing of practical implementation challenges, and prioritise tailoring interventions to local cultural and health system contexts.
Strengthening South–South Collaboration
Organisers said the dissemination meeting aimed to strengthen South–South collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana, promote evidence-based decision-making, and develop an actionable roadmap for sustaining the gains of the SAVING project beyond its funding period.
They called for increased investment in implementation research and capacity building to ensure that proven health interventions achieve sustainable impact across African health systems.
