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The article focuses on the Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) Initiative, which aims to leverage big data and AI for health research in sub-Saharan Africa. Topics include the potential benefits and challenges of data science; the importance of data management and integrity, ethical and legal issues related to data collection and use; and the role of mobile phone data in public health research.

The article focuses on data governance and data sharing practices among researchers and scientists in sub-Saharan Africa. Topics include the willingness to share data, the importance of robust governance frameworks, and the need for capacity development in data governance for researchers and scientists in the region.

The article focuses on data governance challenges in the context of big data and research ethics committees (RECs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Topics include the complexity of data sharing and privacy protection, the role of RECs in reviewing data-intense research protocols, and the need for improved guidelines and regulations for big data research in SSA.

The article focuses on the use of cell phone data for tracking human mobility patterns to improve public health in sub-Saharan Africa. Topics include the rising adoption of smartphones and mobile health initiatives, the ethical challenges of using cell phone data for research purposes, and the issues of bias and representativeness in mobility data.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has captured the attention of the global community since the end of 2019, deadly health pandemics are not new to Africa. Tuberculosis (TB), malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) count amongst other serious diseases that have had a catastrophic impact on the African continent. Effective responses to such pandemics require high-quality, comprehensive data sets that can inform policymaking and enhance healthcare decision-making. While data is driving the information economy in the 21st century, the scarcity in Africa of carefully curated, large epidemiologic data sources and analytical capacity to rapidly identify and understand emerging infectious diseases poses a major challenge to mounting a time-sensitive response to unfolding pandemics. Data access, sharing and transfer between countries are crucial to effectively managing current and future health pandemics. Data access and sharing, however, raises questions about personal privacy, the adequacy of governance mechanisms to regulate cross-border data flows, and ethical issues relating to the collection and use of personal data in the interests of public health. Sub-Saharan Africa's most research-intensive countries are characterised by diverse data management and privacy governance frameworks. Such regional variance can impede time-sensitive data sharing and highlights the need for urgent governance reforms to facilitate effective decision-making in response to rapidly evolving public health threats. Significance: We explore governance considerations that ought to apply to the collection, transfer, and use of data in public health emergencies. Specifically, we provide an overview of the prevailing data sharing governance landscape in selected African countries. In doing so, we identify limitations and gaps that impede effective data collation, sharing and analysis. This work could find utility amongst a range of stakeholders, including bioinformaticians, epidemiologists, artificial intelligence coders, and government decision-makers. While this work focuses primarily on an African context, the issues explored are of universal concern and therefore of relevance to a broader international audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the benefits of the electronic consent in a COVID-19 vaccine implementation trial in South Africa. Topics include participation of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in an online survey to explore their experiences of providing electronic consent for enrolment into the largest implementation trial of a COVID vaccine in South Africa; training of HCPs with access to electronic devices and data; and the use of descriptive analysis to characterise respondents.

We elucidate the misinterpretations raised by Thaldar et al. (S Afr J Sci. 2023;119(11/12), Art. #15722) on our previous publication in which we outlined the data sharing governance landscape in selected African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Academy of Science of South Africa's (ASSAf) study about the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of human genetics and genomics work in the country. Topics discussed include the thematic areas of the study such as building relationships, respect for persons and good stewardship, the recommendations to develop human capacity and material resources, and the call for the appropriate training of healthcare professionals in genetics and genomics.

The article offers information on optimistic vision for biosciences in South Africa including interests and rights of both the individual and the collective which are related to autonomy and privacy.