APHRC Logo

Who are we

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a leading Africa-based, African-led, international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. APHRC conducts policy-relevant research on population, health, education, urbanization, and related development issues in sub-Saharan Africa.

Our vision is to transform African lives through research and we highly engage in evidence generation, strengthening research and related capacity in the African R&D ecosystem, and informing policy to action on health and development. Informed by global and continental development priorities, APHRC’s teams orient their research agendas, driven by the belief that Africa and African-generated evidence must be at the forefront of decisions supporting improved growth and development. Key to the Centre’s strength as a collaborator as well as an independent evidence generator is its commitment to excellence in the design and implementation of projects.

What We Do

Capacity Building

The initiative runs training and mentorship programmes to strengthen skills in data science, advanced analytics, machine learning, evidence- based decision-making, and implementation science for researchers and practitioners working on mental health issues.

Learn more

Community and Research Engagement

MHDPA fosters collaboration across disciplines and sectors, bringing together researchers, data experts, clinicians, policymakers, and people with lived experience to ensure research is relevant, ethically grounded, and impactful.

Learn more

Data Access and Use

The project supports the identification, curation, and responsible use of existing African mental health datasets, enabling teams to generate powerful evidence and tools for policy, diagnosis, treatment, and care.

Learn more

Prize Support

MHDPA awards funding, mentorship, and technical support to multidisciplinary African teams innovating with existing mental health data to better understand and address anxiety, depression, and psychosis.

Learn more

Media Center

  • Healing Through Connection in Hoima

    By Barbara Kemigisha & Etheldreda Nakimli Mpungu In Hoima, Barbara, one of our team members, noticed something that did not sit right with her. Health centers were organizing support groups for people living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). They offered transport allowances and refreshments, yet the rooms stayed half-empty. Almost no one came or spoke. The sessions felt forced, like ticking a box rather than touching lives. Barbara, who herself lives with HIV, deci..

  • Redefining Mental Health Research Through Lived Experience

    By Benta Wambui - Counseling Psychologist, and Onyango Otieno - Mental Health Advocate Across Africa, a quiet transformation is unfolding in how mental health research is being done. The Mental Health Data Prize Africa (MHDPA), an initiative led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, is redefining what it means to do research with people rather than about them At the heart of this transformation i..

  • Powering a New Era of Mental Health in Africa Through Data

    By Christine Ger with contributions from Ann Waithaka and Sylvia Muyingo Across Africa, a quiet revolution in mental health is underway - one powered by data, innovation, and a new generation of African researchers and changemakers. Over the past year, more than 2,000 African professionals, from scholars to data scientists, policymakers, and lived experience experts, joined forces in an initiative to reshape how anxiety, depression, and psychosis are understood and addressed o..

  • #BehindClosedDoors: Recognizing the Silent Struggles of Mental Health

    Despite increasing awareness, mental health remains stigmatized, leading to discrimination, misunderstanding, and inadequate support. One of the greatest challenges in recent years has been gaining widespread recognition of mental health as a critical health issue. This global health crisis affects people of all ages, backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses but often goes undiagnosed and untreated in many p..