KEY TAKE-AWAY FROM 2 nd STRATEGIC WEBINAR: FROM EVIDENCE TO IMPLEMENTATION – STRENGTHENING ETHICAL OVERSIGHT OF DIGITAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

KEY TAKE-AWAY FROM 2 nd STRATEGIC WEBINAR: FROM EVIDENCE TO IMPLEMENTATION – STRENGTHENING ETHICAL OVERSIGHT OF DIGITAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The STRATEGIC (Sustainable eThics Reviews of digital heAlth Technology dEsiGn In Sub-Saharan Africa) project recently hosted its landmark 2nd Strategic Webinar on May 21, 2026, drawing an engaging global audience that peaked at 87 participants. The high-level event brought together experts, regulators, and academics to discuss a critical milestone for the continent, focusing on strengthening the ethical oversight of digital health technologies through the implementation of the innovative 5C framework. Throughout the sessions, the discussions highlighted an urgent need for responsible, inclusive, and sustainable governance approaches in digital health innovation across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Professor Berndt Stahl opened the keynote discussion with a powerful shift in perspective, arguing that digital health technologies should not be viewed merely as purely technical solutions. Instead, he emphasized that they are complex socio-ethical interventions deeply shaped by local culture, governance structures, and existing power dynamics. To navigate these complexities, Professor Stahl explained that the 5C framework, comprising Contest, Collaboration, Care and Compassion, Compliance, and Continuity, provides a practical and robust ethical foundation for responsible innovation. The keynote deeply explored critical modern issues such as ethics-by-design, the adaptation of global frameworks to local African contexts, institutional learning, multi-stakeholder collaboration, transparency, accountability, and equitable benefit sharing.

Following the keynote, a dynamic series of panel discussions explored how to operationalize this 5C framework within active regulatory and ethics review systems. The panel brought together pioneering institutional perspectives, involving representatives from the Ghana Health Service, the Food and Drugs Authority, the University of Ghana Medical School, and the Kintampo Health Research Centre. A major consensus among the participants was the critical importance of expanding traditional research review committees to include specialized expertise in law, data science, and technology. The panelists also actively addressed the technical hurdles of interoperability, the long-term sustainability of digital health systems, the necessity of post-approval monitoring, and the integration of artificial intelligence risk assessment directly into formal regulatory processes.

The webinar also served as a platform to introduce a new proposed Standard Operating Procedure aligned with the 5C framework, which champions a continuous lifecycle approach to digital health review. Rather than relying on a single, one-time approval, this lifecycle approach spans from initial requirement setting and risk categorization to formal ethical review and continuous monitoring. While the framework was well-received, participants raised vital practical concerns regarding limited technical review capacity on the ground, the complexities of AI risk classification, data privacy, evolving models of informed consent, and the overall financial and technical sustainability of digital health interventions.

The 2nd STRATEGIC webinar concluded with a shared, unified understanding of the actionable steps required to secure the future of African health tech. Moving forward, the project network will focus on driving capacity building for review committees, establishing collaborative oversight between tech innovators and health regulators, and implementing real-world pilot testing of the new procedures. Furthermore, the closing remarks emphasized that fostering regional cooperation across Sub-Saharan Africa and maintaining continuous advocacy are essential pillars to ensure that digital health innovation across the continent remains regulatory-compliant, ethically sound, and highly effective.

Subscribe to become part of our e-community and to receive our newsletter to stay updated:  Subscribe