Bridging Borders, Building Capacity: Shaping Research and Healthcare in Ethiopia

Ethiopia, a country with a rich history, diverse geography, and amazing culture, is widely recognised as the origin of some of the world’s earliest human ancestors. With a population of about 130 million, it is a centre of linguistic and cultural diversity. The nation faces significant challenges, including widespread poverty, climate variability, and internal conflicts.

In response, Ethiopia is putting serious effort into building its higher education system and strengthening healthcare. The country has expanded from just two universities before 1990 to more than 30 today. This rapid growth has created an urgent demand for qualified staff, necessitating a need for trained lecturers and researchers with PhDs to keep the system running. Furthermore, public health institutions, such as the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and the Ministry of Health, require stronger research capacity and skilled professionals to effectively shape national health policy and practice.

The Ethiopian researchers in the programme come from various universities, governmental organisations, and non- governmental organisations (NGOs). Crucially, their studies are conducted locally and focus on pressing regional health challenges. For instance, undernutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women, remains a major concern, often linked to women’s social position and access to healthcare. Similarly, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS continue to have a significant impact. The research is specifically designed to align as closely as possible with routine care, ensuring that findings can be translated into practical improvements in healthcare delivery. Most projects are financed locally, and collaboration is extended to other departments and research lines within CAPHRI, such as Health Promotion, Epidemiology, and Health Services Research.

The true success of this long-term programme is its growing and lasting impact on institutional capacity. Former PhD students now hold key academic and leadership positions across the country, where they manage, research, teach, and mentor, inspiring new generations of students. Together with them, the CAPHRI team is supervising an increasing number of PhD candidates, further strengthening local research capacity in a self-sustaining manner. The collaboration also extends to postgraduate education: each year, 5–8 Master’s students from Maastricht (Medicine/Global Health) travel to Ethiopia for their scientific internship. Working alongside the PhD candidates, they gain invaluable research experience and benefit from an enriching cultural exchange.

The evidence generated through this partnership has directly influenced national health policy and global recommendations. For instance, the studies by Dr. Araya Abrha Medhanyie and co-workers about the role of Health Extension Workers (HEWs) in maternal health services were used and mentioned in a key document from the Ministry of Health Ethiopia: “Realizing Universal Health Coverage through Primary Health Care: A Roadmap for Optimizing the Ethiopian Health Extension Program, 2020–2035.” Furthermore, the evidence on HEWs' experiences with mHealth, training, and supervision was used in a WHO brief (Optimizing the Ethiopian Health Extension Programme: Strategies to address workforce challenges, 2023) that synthesises government reports and academic studies to recommend workforce strategies. This direct route to policy demonstrates the practical, real-world value of locally led research.