Title: Promoting Rational Medicine Prescribing in Primary Care across Sub-Saharan Africa (PROSPER)

 

Summary

Innovations rarely achieve widespread uptake even when there is evidence of their benefits. The 6-step WHO Guide to Good Prescribing has positive short- and long-term effects on prescribing practices in Europe. Although cheap, the Guide is not used in prescriber education across Africa. Given its disease burden and unmet needs, this is important to address because medication errors harm patients, increase costs and lead to poor quality of care.
The PROSPER project will inform the implementation of the WHO Guide in prescriber education in Africa by: appraising the evidence on rational prescribing in African primary care (scoping review), strengthening South-South partnerships to embed and sustain prescribing initiatives (network, horizon scan); upskill local educators and prescribers on rational prescribing (bulletins, webinars); and evaluate context-relevant implementation strategies of the Guide in prescriber education at four diverse African medical schools (implementation study).

Countries:

  • South Africa
  • DR Congo
  • Ethiopia
  • Uganda

Leadership & Coordination

Ghent University (Flemish institution)

  • Ellen Van Leeuwen – Promoter (Ghent University)
  • Prof. Jan De Maeseneer – In‑kind contributor
  • Dr. Bianca Silva – In‑kind contributor
  • Prof. Oliver Van Hecke – In‑kind contributor and co‑promotor

Stellenbosch University (Partner Promoter / Lead African Institution)

  • Prof. Michael Pather – Promoter; coordination role; assistant editor for therapeutic letters (PHCFM)
  • Prof. Bob Mash – Editor-in-Chief of PHCFM; liaison with ISDB; coordination support; President Elect of WONCA Africa (2025–2027)
  • Dr. van Rensburg – Assistant editor on PHCFM therapeutic letters series
  • Cindy Harley – Local administrator handling logistics and planning

Partner Co‑Promoters & Institutional Leads

Makerere University (Uganda)

  • Prof. Jane Namatovu – Local partner co‑promoter; President of WONCA Africa
  • Dr. Innocent Besigye – Team member; Assistant editor of PHCFM; member of PRIMAFAMED Executive Committee

University of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

  • Dr. Meseret Zerihun – Partner co‑promoter; active member of PRIMAFAMED network

Protestant University of the Congo (DRC)

  • Prof. Jean-Pierre Fina – Partner co‑promoter; leads local implementation of WHO Guide

Collaborating African Networks

AFREhealth

  • Mr. Edward Mawajje – Team member; coordinates PROSPER activities with AFREhealth and connects project outputs to the broader network

AfroPHC (African Forum for Primary Health Care)

  • Dr. Mercy Wanjala – Team member; links PROSPER activities to AfroPHC professional networks and stakeholders