Experts Advocate IR for Health Interventions

Experts have advocated Implementation Research (IR) for efficient and sustainable access to health interventions. This call was made during the Project Dissemination and South-South Collaboration Workshop of the SAVING Consortium in  Abuja . The workshop was organizmsed by Academy for Health Development (AHEAD), Nigeria.

SAVING is an European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) funded consortium for sustainable access and delivery of new vaccines in Ghana.

In a joint presentation of an “Overview of Implementation Research” by Professors Olumide Ogundahunsi and Tuoyo Okorosobo of SAVING Consortium, they described IR as “ systematic approach to understanding and addressing barriers to effective and quality implementation of health interventions, strategies and policies.”

They added that “it is demand driven and conducted under real life conditions.”

Emphasising the importance of implementation research, the Principal Investigator and chair of SAVING Consortium, Professor Margaret Gyapong said: “In practice, when effective disease control tools, strategies, or policies are expanded and implemented across entire systems, their health impact often does not meet expectations. Implementation research can identify and address the bottlenecks and barriers responsible.”

She further said: “Implementation research improves programme effectiveness in context, optimising resources and enhancing equity across different populations ”

The two-day workshop also featured sessions and panel discussions where participants exchanged experiences and lessons learned from the Ghana Food and Drug Administration, Ghana Ministry of Health, the Swiss Institute for Tropical Public Health and the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho – the four institutions and work package leads comprising the consortium. Attendees emphasised the importance of collaboration among stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, healthcare providers, and community representatives —to maximize the impact of Implementation Research and ensure that solutions are contextually relevant and sustainable.

Speaking of the experiences and lessons learnt by the consortium in capacity building, Professor Evelyn Korkor Ansah, underscored importance of strengthening implementation research capacity.  Describing how the SAVING Consortium built capacity of the institutions in the consortium to conduct implementation research, she added that “capacity building in IR should be encouraged and made a regular exercise.”

The workshop, attended by academics, government officials, non-profits, and media, concluded that integrating IR will improve efficient and sustainable health interventions.

Professor Adesegun Fatusi, the President of AHEAD said the next IR training workshop organized by the academy is planned for first quarter of 2026. The workshop will provide a unique platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and encourage participants to share implementation challenges. Special attention will be given to the importance of tailoring interventions to local cultural and health system contexts, a critical factor for success in the access and delivery of interventions in the health system.