The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa has launched the DIGIT Health Campaign Data Digitization Project (DIGIT-HCM), a regional initiative aimed at modernising the planning, coordination, implementation and monitoring of health campaigns across Africa.
The initiative builds on the region’s growing experience with digital health and is designed as an open, modular and interoperable platform for managing campaign data and operations. Its first phase will involve seven pilot countries, with the aim of supporting wider regional adoption.
Led jointly by WHO Africa’s Polio Eradication Programme and the Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control Cluster, the three-year initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the eGov Foundation and supported by the Gates Foundation. It aims to strengthen data-driven health systems, support Universal Health Coverage and contribute to health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
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“The approach is centred on country ownership and data sovereignty. Rather than creating another stand-alone programme tool, DIGIT is intended to provide a common digital infrastructure through which information can be generated, managed and used across programmes,” said Dr Gedi Mohamed, Coordinator of the WHO AFRO Polio Eradication Programme (PEP).
A key feature of DIGIT-HCM is the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial intelligence into health campaign management. This will help countries improve microplanning, identify underserved populations and monitor campaign implementation in real time.
The platform builds on Health Campaign Management experience that has reached a population of around 40 million people across Africa. Preparatory work was followed by an advocacy mission to Chad, where consultations supported the adoption of DIGIT-HCM. The first pilot deployment took place in a district of N’Djamena Province during the June 2026 polio vaccination campaign.
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“Health campaigns are some of the most important approaches for delivering preventive interventions to populations not easily reached by routine services. Currently, they are still largely planned and delivered vertically across programmes. This platform complements the WHO Regional Office for Africa’s broader work to strengthen integrated health campaign planning and implementation across programmes,” said Dr Benido Impouma, Director of the Universal Health Coverage/Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa.
WHO and its partners will support participating countries with spatial data analysis, capacity-building and the integration of geospatial tools into national health systems. Member States will also assess national readiness and adapt the platform to local health campaign needs.
