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Background: For effective delivery of International experiential training programs, many universities in the Global North, have created partnerships with universities in the global south especially in Africa to enhance their capacity and diversity of learning for their students. However, there is hardly any literature that exhibits the value and roles of African instructors in international experiential learning programs.Methods: This was a qualitative case study that examined the role of instructors and experts from Africa in influencing student learning processes and outcomes in the GCC 3003/5003 - Seeking Solutions to Global Health Issues. Semi-structured interviews with (2) students, (2)University of Minnesota lead faculty for the course, and (3) in-country instructors/experts from countries in East Africa and the Horn of Africa were conducted. Data was analyzed thematically.Results: The African In-country course instructors/experts describe themselves as “conduits” and “bridge builders,” filling gaps in knowledge for students, and “providing a true picture reflection of happenings on the ground.” Conclusions: In-country African instructors’ roles can be viewed as those aimed at validating students' ideas to apply to the local settings, streamlining students' focus, providing a platform for multi-stakeholder engagement to a particular topic coupled with bringing a real in-country context experience in the classroom.

Background Investment in nursing and midwifery leadership and governance are key suggested approaches by the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Regional Office to address the shortages of the nursing health workforce. However, there are few if any studies that have investigated the existence and operationalization of the nursing leadership and governance structures in Africa. This paper fills this gap by, providing an overview of nursing and midwifery leadership, governance structures, and instruments in Africa.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of the nursing and midwifery leadership ,structures and instruments in 16 African countries using quantitative methodology. Data was analyzed using SPSS IBM 21 statistical software. Data was summarized in frequencies and percentages and presented as tables and charts. ResultsOnly(9,56.25%) of the 16 countries included had retrievable evidence of all expected governance structures while (7, 43.75%) lacked one or more of the structures. A quarter (4, 25%) of the countries did not have a department of nursing and midwifery or chief nursing and midwifery officer at their Ministry of Health (MOH). The dominant gender representation across all the governance structures was female. Only Lesotho (1, 6.25%) had all expected nursing and midwifery governance instruments while the remaining (15, 93.75%) had either one or four of these instruments missing.ConclusionsThe lack of complete nursing and midwifery governance structures and instruments in various African countries is a matter of concern. Without these structures and instruments, the strategic direction and input of the nursing and midwifery profession cannot be maximized for the public good in relation to health outcomes. Addressing the existing gaps requires a multipronged approach with the need to strengthen regional collaboration, advocacy, creating awareness, and advancing nursing and midwifery leadership training to enable nursing and midwifery governance capacity development in Africa.

Background An elective is part of the curriculum where students have the flexibility to choose both the study topic and location. International medical electives are a well-established part of curricula at most medical schools in high-income countries. They are highly valued by students and have proven educational benefits, though do come with challenges, such as lack of reciprocity. Low and middle-income countries frequently host students from high-income countries providing learning opportunities, yet also carry the burden of supervision and resource consumption, whilst their students get few elective opportunities. This study explores the value and feasibility of South-South Medical Elective Exchanges (SSMEE), which creates elective opportunities for African medical students in other African countries to create reciprocity within the elective system.Method A qualitative evaluation of the South-South Medical Elective Exchanges was conducted using a case study approach. Four African medical schools, College of Medicine, Malawi; University of Rwanda, Rwanda; University of Witwatersrand, South Africa and Makerere University, Uganda participated in the pilot study in 2017/18. Each institution selected two students to participate in a four-week elective to another participating institute. Participating students completed a pre-elective questionnaire and a post-elective interview exploring expectations, learning outcomes, challenges and how they are applying this learning. Data was analysed thematically.Results Data presented is from six of the eight participating students. All students found the elective a valuable experience and learning was demonstrated in four key areas: clinical knowledge and skills; attitudes; personal and professional development and global perspectives. For some, it challenged their assumptions of what an elective is because valuable learning can be achieved whilst remaining in Africa. The main challenge found related to funding the elective. Conclusions The SSMEE model is feasible and provides valuable learning for participating students and their peers/colleagues. Financing electives remains the biggest challenge. Since this pilot study, SSMEE has become part of a regional elective exchange network in Africa with an additional four institutions in three other countries. As such SSMEE has resulted in increased opportunities for African medical students and better educational outcomes that are likely to have a positive effect on healthcare systems in Africa.