Who we are

Committed to transforming public health across Africa and beyond

The Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management, formerly the Africa Centre for HIV/Aids Management, is dedicated to building management and leadership capacity and skills in health management through transformative education programmes, impactful research and robust community engagement. In offering management science academic programmes, we are located in the Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) Faculty at Stellenbosch University.

Located in Africa

Grounded in Africa

The centre is not only located in Africa, but is also grounded in African philosophy, pedagogy and values. We consider the critical role of African knowledge systems in advancing health management solutions suited to the continent’s unique needs, while acknowledging the contribution of Western knowledge systems to modern African education. The majority of our students are also from across the African continent.

Transformative management practices that drive inclusive and equitable socio-economic transformation in all spheres of life, including the health economy, will remain an essential agenda for Africa under the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and beyond. Through our work, the Africa Centre plays a critical role in this agenda.

Prioritising inclusive health management

The reality of today’s global health landscape is that the health challenges and priorities we are facing are all interconnected. A specific health challenge such as a pandemic cannot be dealt with in isolation – it requires addressing all intersecting health factors. These include non-communicable diseases, climate change, traditional health systems, mental health, community health, health equity and health system strengthening. Inclusive health management recognises this interconnectivity and offers the skills to interrogate and redesign health systems to ensure equitable access, efficient delivery and social justice.

While the Africa Centre was originally established in response to South Africa’s HIV/Aids epidemic – which remains a key focus area – we leverage our expertise in HIV/Aids management to contribute not only to the fight against HIV/Aids but also against current and future epidemics and pandemics while addressing intersecting health challenges.

Meet the team

Find out more about the people who all play a part in the centre meeting its objectives.

What we do – the three pillars

To contribute to the global agenda towards health systems strengthening, the Africa Centre’s activities are centred on three key pillars.

Innovative academic programmes

To equip professionals from the health and other sectors with the knowledge and tools to lead transformative change across health systems, we offer transdisciplinary postgraduate programmes and short courses on inclusive health management and HIV/Aids management in communities and the broader health ecosystem.

Our programmes are targeted at anyone who experiences work and wellness in a formal, informal or virtual space – in the health sector and beyond – including:

Employers and employees
Community leaders and groups
Volunteers and interns

Current and past students include:

Healthcare workers
Human resource managers
Policymakers
People active in civil society
Government employees
Other professionals from across sectors

Research for social impact

We conduct inclusive, participatory and collaborative social impact research in strategic research areas relating to inclusive health management and the management of HIV/Aids in the context of cross-cutting health issues. Examples of our research focus areas include the socio-ecological dynamics of health, the social and commercial determinants of health, the political economy of health and intersectionality in the health sector. The research considers relevant scientific developments and how these are linked to the advancement of society and communities and health systems strengthening.

See examples of research projects from the Africa Centre’s MPhil students.

Contribution of student and staff research outputs to local and global initiatives

Community engagement and partnerships

We actively pursue strategic and cross-disciplinary partnerships, alliances and networks that enable collaborative approaches to address complex health challenges, facilitate systemic impact and contribute to excellence in learning-teaching-assessment and research. Our partners and collaborators include other universities, community structures and faith-based organisations, the media, governments, national and international organisations, research institutions and key populations in all societal sectors.

Facts, figures and achievements

Almost 70% of students and alumni are female, which means the Africa Centre contributes to women’s higher education, empowerment and professionalisation

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Partnership

Partnerships with leading international and national organisations, such as UNAIDS and the ILO

Research profile

Recruited our first research fellow in 2023 to further enhance our research profile

Celebrated 25 years of unbroken service and growth in 2025

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Hover over the hotspots below to view more facts, figures and achievements:

Our funders

The funding and grants we receive from local and international private and public organisations and foundations are instrumental to achieving our objectives across the three pillars. We owe our success to the following funders who have supported the Africa Centre’s work over the years.