GELA strengthens child-health policy in sub-Saharan Africa

The Global Evidence, Local Adaptation (GELA) project aimed to bridge the gap between global research and national child-health policies in Malawi, Nigeria, and South Africa. Using an Integrated Knowledge Translation approach, GELA brought together Ministries of Health, clinicians, researchers, and civil society as equal partners in developing guidance. This collaboration ensured that recommendations were not only evidence-based but also feasible, equitable, and tailored to local contexts. Most recommendations were adapted from existing guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO), while also advancing new methods for contextualisation in low- and middle-income settings.

Over the past three years, the consortium completed comprehensive clinical, qualitative, and economic evidence syntheses and produced 12 publications. National guideline panels developed country-specific recommendations on priority topics such as enteral feeding, infection prevention, family-centred post-discharge care, and care for preterm and low-birthweight newborns. These outputs were published on an open digital platform and supported by clear summaries and infographics designed for frontline health workers and policymakers.

 

Although full national adoption is still underway, several pathways towards implementation have begun. In Malawi, recommendations are being considered within newly developed intensive care unit (ICU) guidelines. In Nigeria, they have been submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health for review by the National Council on Health. In South Africa, a key recommendation on community care for preterm infants has already been included in forthcoming national newborn guidelines.

Beyond producing guidelines, GELA strengthened national evidence systems, trained early-career researchers, and fostered durable academic–government partnerships. Its most lasting contribution may be the regional community of practice it created, a network equipped to sustain evidence-informed decision-making long after the project’s completion, with potential for expansion to other countries as future funding opportunities arise.