MARC SE-Africa digital health tools featured in Nature Africa
Digital innovations from the MARC SE-Africa, specifically the MARC SE-Africa Dashboard and MOXIE-BOT, have been featured in last week’s African research Editors’ Picks in Nature Africa. This recognition spotlights the tools' instrumental role in enhancing malaria surveillance and response across Southern and Eastern Africa, regions that together bear the highest global burden of malaria.
In the article, journalist Lynne Smit highlights the impact of these technologies on regional policy and health systems. Developed through a cross-border collaboration led by the MARC SE-Africa, these tools are empowering national malaria control programmes, regional intergovernmental bodies (including the East African Community, Southern African Development Community, and Elimination Eight Initiative), and global partners like Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria, to respond more effectively to the growing threat of antimalarial resistance.
The MARC SE-Africa Dashboard provides real-time data on resistance trends, treatment efficacy, and molecular markers, while MOXIE-BOT (the project’s multilingual AI-powered chatbot) offers instant access to more than 230 malaria-related resources, including WHO protocols, genome surveillance tools, and diagnostic guidelines.
These platforms have played a central role in the development of:
national situation analyses on antimicrobial resistance (e.g. Uganda and Angola)
the EAC regional report and detailed action plan on emerging antimalarial resistance
resistance country profiles for 18 endemic countries in Southern and Eastern Africa
EAC members and stakeholders at the MARC SE-Africa’s collaborative workshop to combat antimalarial resistance in Kigali, September 2024
This achievement showcases the power of regional collaboration and data-driven innovation to drive evidence-based action in the fight against malaria.
Their inclusion in Nature Africa highlights how digital innovation, grounded in African leadership and regional collaboration, is being recognised on a global stage. It is especially meaningful that this recognition comes from one of the world’s leading scientific publications thereby affirming the value and impact of African-led responses to one of the most urgent health challenges facing the continent today.
Read the feature: Nature Africa Research Highlight
