Context

Gawani supported Speak Up Africa in developing and piloting a set of indicators to ensure the inclusion and active application of diverse women's perspectives in research and development. The approach combined South-South collaboration with Africa-based, women-led organisations to strengthen inclusivity in health research.

Challenge

The initiative required broad stakeholder engagement to ensure diverse voices were represented, while examining the involvement of women across every phase of the research and development value chain and the degree to which women can access the resources needed to sustain their influence in women's health research.

Approach

We drew on prior experience from a health innovation landscaping project led by PATH to conduct a baseline assessment for Nigeria, then updated the existing 2023 national baseline.

We developed country-based indicators for Nigeria to inform the design of a regional scorecard, convened a national stakeholder meeting to validate those indicators, and worked closely with Speak Up Africa on the design of the regional scorecard itself.

Outcome

The engagement produced a validated set of national indicators and a country scorecard that give stakeholders a shared basis for tracking accountability and strengthening women's voices across the research and development ecosystem.

Sustainability

The indicators and scorecard provide a regional accountability framework for the inclusion and active application of diverse women's perspectives in health innovation.