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The Digital Frontline: Africa’s One Health Champions

May 19, 2026

The Digital Frontline: Africa’s One Health Champions

In an era where urbanization, climate change and recurrent infectious disease outbreaks are reshaping the public health landscape across the African continent, countries face not only increasingly complex epidemiological threats but also a critical shortage of expertise required to prevent, detect and respond to them. Yet amid these challenges lies a distinct comparative advantage: a young, technologically adept population driving innovation and digital transformation across the continent. This presents a unique opportunity to leverage digital approaches to strengthen integration across One Health sectors at both continental as well as global levels.

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Digitalisation in social protection

Digitalisation revolutionises data management and administrative processes in social protection.

Through the Sustainable Development Goals countries have set themselves ambitious targets for improving their health and social protection systems. But in many countries, basic statistics such as birth and death records or households with an income below the national poverty line are lacking or patchy. Without reliable and consistent information, policy makers and service managers cannot make informed decisions about where to target resources or which interventions work.

Secure, connected and digitalised social protection systems can reduce such inefficiencies, improve access, reduce costs, increase quality, and personalise services. They can ensure crucial data are available almost immediately at local and central level, for example, to ensure poor families obtain the support they are entitled to, particularly in times of crisis, or to set up and run health insurance or pension schemes.

German development cooperation aims at enabling its partner countries to realise the full potential of digital technology in building scalable, sustainable and interoperable digital social protection systems. Check the articles, studies and event documentations on this page to get an overview.

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  • The Digital Frontline: Africa’s One Health Champions

    The Digital Frontline: Africa’s One Health Champions

    In an era where urbanization, climate change and recurrent infectious disease outbreaks are reshaping the public health landscape across the African continent, countries face not only increasingly complex epidemiological threats but also a critical shortage of expertise required to prevent, detect and respond to them. Yet amid these challenges lies a distinct comparative advantage: a…

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  • Digital Public Infrastructure for Health Security: Operationalising One Health in Africa

    Digital Public Infrastructure for Health Security: Operationalising One Health in Africa

    Across Sub-Saharan Africa, the spread of infectious diseases is accelerating under the combined pressures of climate change, urbanisation, ecosystem degradation and other factors. GIZ’s One Health Data Alliance Africa (OHDAA) project, has been focusing on addressing these systemic barriers to unlock the transformational potential of data for health security in Africa and by extension, the…

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  • Digital and Financial Literacy: Empowering Women and Building Climate Resilience in Sindh (Pakistan) 

    Digital and Financial Literacy: Empowering Women and Building Climate Resilience in Sindh (Pakistan) 

    The Digital and Financial Literacy Training (DFLT) programme equips women across Sindh (Pakistan) with practical financial and digital skills, enabling them to manage household resources effectively, access government support, and make informed decisions. By integrating climate-smart adaptive practices, the programme helps women prepare for and respond to climate-related shocks such as floods, heat waves, and…

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