Nigeria’s national health information system faces several challenges and is unable to provide quality health data essential for decision-making. Among several structural and governance obstacles, this weakness is largely due to weak capacity for data analysis and coordination, as well as fragmented and disorganized development of data systems in the country.
Data analytics can improve health care in many ways. These include regular monitoring of health outcomes, improving decision-making support mechanisms, informing policy development, etc. Most importantly, policymakers and health stakeholders can use data and analytics to employ new tools that can provide valuable insights into the health status of the population, the quality of service delivery, and the financial implications.

For several years, the e-Health for Everyone Foundation, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and other stakeholders, has been providing support for health data analytics to improve data-driven decision-making in Nigeria. This support is provided through technical advice, research, staff mentoring, and capacity building of the FMSH and other partner agencies. The main objective is to improve health data analytics in the health sector by strengthening the institutional capacity of departments and agencies responsible for managing the Nigerian health information system.
To expand on this ongoing support, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, through the eHealth for All Foundation, is launching the Health Data Analytics for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (HDA-MDA) Fellowship. The objective of this fellowship is to improve health data analytics for better decision-making in Nigeria.

The objectives of the scholarship are:
Strengthen data analysis skills
Improve data visibility and on-site analysis
Support the development and expansion of existing health data analysis platforms, such as the Multi-Source Data Analysis and Triangulation (MSDAT) platform.
Provide results that can influence evidence-based policy and decision-making in the health sector.

Scholarship Benefits
The scholarship will be available to staff of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to support research on improving data analytics in Nigeria. Scholarship recipients will receive the following:
Grants to fund data collection and analysis. Training/Webinar: All beneficiaries will have access to any series of training sessions organized by the grant committee. The training will focus on educating recipients on research methods, ethical considerations, research communications, scientific writing, literature review techniques and proposal writing. Mentoring and support from the scholarship committee. This results in providing assessments and advice throughout their research.

Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a scholarship:
At least a bachelor’s degree in medicine, public health, data science, statistics, computer science, or a related discipline. Five (5) years of experience working with health records will be considered equivalent.
Document(s) confirming appointment as an employee of the Ministry of Health or a partner organization.
A letter of endorsement from the director of the applicant’s department.
Evidence of previous experience in conducting research.

Application Process
Applicants must carefully complete each section of the HDAFMDA scholarship forms and attach the required documents. These include:
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Statement of Purpose (maximum 500 words),
Research Proposal/Summary including timeline: A research proposal will be required that justifies the chosen research area. This proposal should include the study design, a statement of the significance of the research to improve data analysis, policy development, and/or future research interests. Letter of recommendation/representation from the department head
The form(s) must be submitted by the specified deadline. The scholarship committee will carefully review each proposal and make a final decision. Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview with the scholarship committee.
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and scholarships will be awarded quarterly. If successful, candidates will be notified that they have been selected to receive the research scholarship. They must “accept” the offer officially by email within 2 weeks.
Funds must be used ONLY for research purposes. Funds may cover manuals, equipment, publications, and data collection activities. Costs indirectly related to the research must be approved by the scholarship committee.

The research will prioritize secondary data and the objectives should aim to improve health data and data systems in Nigeria in the following key areas:
Health governance
Health outcomes
Health financing
Health workforce
Population and demographics
Availability and readiness of health services
Medicine and logistics
Service delivery
Health impact
Health surveillance
The research objectives can be pursued using one of the following approaches:
Data management
Visual analysis
Data mining
Data integration
Multi-source data collection
Advanced analytics
Open data advocacy
Big data for health
Data retrieval and use
Statistical modelling of health data
Interoperability of health information systems
Geographical Information System (GIS)
Artificial intelligence
Machine learning.

Scholarship recipients will be required to submit progress reports to the scholarship committee on a monthly basis.
Progress reports are used to:
Maintain contact between scholarship recipients and the scholarship committee;
Help initiate corrective actions if necessary;
Provide their peers with a report on their activities, which will be useful in preparing their final report. Within 6 months of applying for the scholarship, scholarship recipients will be required to complete a comprehensive research package: literature review, data collection, compilation and interpretation of results, and a textual summary of all of the above. They will also be required to present their research at a seminar attended by other scholars and scholarship committee members.
The scholarship committee will not take sole credit for the results. However, all research results and relevant materials or resources must be made available to the scholarship committee and for publication, if appropriate. For more information and to apply, go to:https://hdafmda.paperform.co/