As a communicator and advocate in public health, I’ve learned that in order to strengthen or change policies and practices for better health, it is critical to ensure that knowledge about what does and doesn’t work is effectively and systematically captured, disseminated, and applied. Through my work, I am constantly reminded of the interconnectedness and catalytic relationships between strong knowledge management (KM), effective communications efforts, and successful advocacy.

It is for this reason that I was excited to participate on behalf of the African Strategies for Health (ASH) project in the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community Knowledge Management (KM) Share Fair in Arusha, Tanzania a few weeks ago. The Share Fair was hosted by USAID, the K4Health Project, and two African regional organizations: the East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) and the East African Community Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC).

I was excited to have the opportunity to connect with regional partners and the nascent KM community across East, Central, and Southern Africa; learn about their efforts in KM and strengthen dialogue and collaboration around technical topics; and explore new tools and tactics for good KM.

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In a knowledge café session on storytelling, Stella Muthuri engages participants in a discussion about the vibrancy and value of Photovoice as a KM storytelling practice. Photo by Willow Gerber.

KM across East Africa

African regional bodies have played an increasingly important role in health and development across the continent. Regional networks and associations often cite knowledge exchange, capacity building, and advocacy as their main objectives, and closely follow current trends and knowledge about health in order to disseminate information, monitor the delivery of services, represent the voice of the community, or advocate for improved policies and practices.

The Share Fair demonstrated how ECSA-HC and LVBC are working towards these goals. The meeting brought together 102 participants from 14 African countries, and included country government representatives as well as members of regional organizations and institutions such as the USAID East Africa Regional Mission and the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC). The meeting helped foster a community for KM in Africa, and established an online platform—spearheaded by ECSA-HC—to support and connect with colleagues across the