About the instructor:
Michael Audu is a Malaria Expert, Public Health Security Advocate, and Supply Chain Integration Strategist specializing in the West African health landscape. Currently a DrPH candidate at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Michael holds an MPH and a Master’s in International Affairs and Diplomacy (MIAD). His work operates at the critical intersection of infectious disease control, Global Health Security, and Artificial Intelligence.
As the Principal Investigator of "Project Foresight" at the University of Port Harcourt, Michael leads the development of AI-powered malaria prediction models and climate-adaptive logistics strategies designed to safeguard "last-mile" access in flood-prone and insecure regions.
A vocal proponent of African health sovereignty, Michael focuses on breaking "verticality traps" by integrating parallel supply chains into resilient, harmonized systems. His research and strategic insights have been featured at major continental forums, including CPHIA 2025, where his work was recognized for its strategic alignment with the Africa CDC’s New Public Health Order.
Event Summary
The presentation introduces the Africa Readiness Index (ARI), a diagnostic tool for assessing whether African health systems can safely, affordably and sustainably adopt new malaria interventions, focusing on regulation, supply chains, workforce, financing and surveillance. Among 10 high-burden countries representing 68% of the global malaria burden, the mean readiness score was 11.8/25; Ghana and Kenya showed high readiness, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Niger showed low readiness. Malaria burden did not correspond to health-system readiness, as demonstrated by Nigeria’s high malaria burden but only moderate readiness, while domestic financing was the weakest domain across all countries. The presentation concludes that innovation will not translate into patient impact without a prepared delivery system, making it essential to assess readiness before product introduction, direct investment toward the weakest areas and regularly update the ARI as health systems evolve.
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