The Central and West Africa Implementation Science Alliance (CAWISA) is a regional African research consortium established to facilitate high-standard research by indigenous scientists. CAWISA prioritizes research that aims to solve West and Central Africa’s most pressing public health problems.
Currently, CAWISA spans four focus countries, namely Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, and Nigeria. These countries are regional hotspots of HIV infection especially among young people, as well as malaria, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and other communicable and non-communicable diseases. Some of these countries have also experienced relatively high caseloads of COVID-19, and outbreaks of Ebola.
CAWISA is driven by the following five point plan:
- Leadership and vision: dedicated scientific mentorship and demonstrable expertise in implementation science research.
- Research productivity and impact: local relevance and applicability of data generated from implementation science research, dissemination in published papers.
- Scholars & mentors: Engaging individuals committed to scientific advancements, diligence in scholarship and integrity, and willing to continuously pay it forward.
- Strategic partnerships: with a commitment to fund and conduct research to drive the adoption of evidence-based practices for improved health outcomes.
- Sustained funding: Prioritize consistency in pursuing and winning grants to achieve collective goals. CAWISA aims to secure multi-year awards to keep the Alliance active and impactful in the West and Central African region and beyond.
