Connecting Africa's public health modelers, one network at a time.
WHO AFRO is launching the Africa Regional Modeling Network (ARMN) — a continental community of practice for modelers, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, data scientists, and public health professionals across Africa.
A continental platform for public health modeling in Africa.
The Africa Regional Modeling Network is being established as a continental platform to strengthen public health modeling capacity across Africa. It is intended to connect African modelers, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, data scientists, and public health professionals in a structured network that supports collaboration, mentorship, technical exchange, and applied problem-solving for public health action.
Hosted through coordination at the WHO AFRO Dakar Hub, ARMN will build on and connect existing initiatives, institutions, and communities rather than create a parallel structure. It will align with WHO AFRO's Collaboratory, EPR architecture, and other relevant learning and surveillance strengthening efforts.
ARMN serves both as a continental community of practice for public health modeling in Africa and as a regional technical guiding platform that strengthens the quality, relevance, and use of modeling for decision-making.
ARMN's six objectives shape every workstream — from the regional roster to the mentorship pool, technical guidance documents, and annual convenings.
Identify & connect
Map modeling expertise, institutions, and initiatives across Africa, and connect them through national focal points and a living regional roster.
Strengthen capacity
Strengthen regional capacity through peer learning, structured mentorship, training, and cross-country collaboration.
Apply modeling for action
Promote the practical use of modeling for preparedness, early warning, forecasting, risk assessment, and emergency response.
Peer review & quality
Provide a platform for peer exchange, technical review, and quality improvement of modeling methods and outputs.
Technical guidance
Support the development of technical guidance, good practice documents, and methodological recommendations for modeling in Africa.
Visibility for African modelers
Increase the visibility and contribution of African modelers in national, regional, and global public health initiatives.
Five areas where ARMN does its work.
The network operates across five connected workstreams. Members can engage with one or several depending on their expertise, interests, and institutional capacity.
A Community of practice & networking
- Map modelers, institutions, and thematic areas of expertise across African countries.
- Establish and maintain a regional network of members, including national focal points where feasible.
- Facilitate quarterly meetings, webinars, and collaborative discussions.
- Promote cross-country learning and exchange of practical experiences.
B Capacity building & mentorship
- Identify junior, intermediate, and senior modelers across the region.
- Establish a mentorship mechanism linking experienced modelers with early-career practitioners.
- Contribute to a Modeling Learning Hub with training resources, case studies, code, and datasets.
- Support a long-term African modeling talent pipeline.
C Technical advisory & peer review
- Provide technical feedback on modeling methodologies, assumptions, and analytical approaches.
- Support review and improvement of modeling outputs intended for public health decision-making.
- Serve as a peer review platform for technical documents, operational analyses, and manuscripts.
- Promote scientific rigor, transparency, and fitness-for-purpose.
D Technical guidance & normative support
- Develop guidance notes, technical reference documents, templates, and methodological recommendations.
- Identify priority areas where technical guidance is needed for the African context.
- Support dialogue between modelers, surveillance practitioners, and decision-makers.
E Strategic alignment & integration
- Link with WHO AFRO's Collaboratory, EPR learning networks, and partner initiatives to avoid duplication.
- Build on and connect existing regional and global modeling platforms and training networks.
- Support integration of modeling into broader surveillance and epidemic intelligence efforts.
Four entry points into ARMN.
ARMN welcomes participants at every stage of a modeling career. Each profile has a distinct role — from foundational learning to mentorship and advisory work.
Junior / Emerging modeler
Limited or no direct modeling experience; basic coding or statistics exposure; strong interest in learning.
Intermediate practitioner
Some experience applying models or supporting analyses; can work with data and standard tools with moderate supervision.
Senior modeler
Able to independently develop, adapt, or interpret models; has contributed to technical work, reports, or publications.
Mentor / Expert
Recognized experience leading modeling work, supervising others, or providing strategic technical advice.
Open to professionals and institutions across Africa.
ARMN brings together a wide range of expertise. If you work with quantitative methods in service of public health, this network is for you.
Express your interest in joining ARMN.
This survey identifies public health modelers, data scientists, analysts, institutions, and practitioners across African countries who are interested in participating in ARMN. Responses support mapping of modeling capacity, identification of mentors and junior professionals, training needs, and the development of a regional community of practice.
Thank you — your interest has been recorded.
The ARMN coordination team at WHO AFRO Dakar Hub will follow up with you about next steps, including onboarding into the community of practice and matching you with relevant working groups.