Towards improving stroke services in Africa: Results from the Africa-UK Stroke Partnership [AUKSP] surveys.

Background: The African Stroke Organization (ASO) in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire's Stroke Research Team launched the Africa-UK Stroke Partnership (AUKSP). AUKSP undertook two (stroke expert and hospital Stroke Unit (SU)) on-line surveys mapping existing capacity and capability to deliver African stroke care.

Methods: An on-line expert survey tool was sent to 139 stroke experts in 54 African countries October 2021-March 2022 and the hospital SU survey to 120 hospital SUs (identified from the expert survey) June-October 2022.

ACHIEVE conference proceedings: implementing action plans to reduce and control hypertension burden in Africa.

The prevalence of hypertension, the commonest risk factor for preventable disability and premature deaths, is rapidly increasing in Africa. The African Control of Hypertension through Innovative Epidemiology, and a Vibrant Ecosystem [ACHIEVE] conference was convened to discuss and initiate the co-implementation of the strategic solutions to tame this burden toward achieving a target of 80% for awareness, treatment, and control by the year 2030. Experts, including the academia, policymakers, patients, the WHO, and representatives of various hypertension and cardiology societies generated a 12-item communique for implementation by the stakeholders of the ACHIEVE ecosystem at the continental, national, sub-national, and local (primary) healthcare levels.

Conceptual framework for establishing the African Stroke Organization.

Africa is the world's most genetically diverse, second largest, and second most populous continent, with over one billion people distributed across 54 countries. With a 23% lifetime risk of stroke, Africa has some of the highest rates of stroke worldwide and many occur in the prime of life with huge economic losses and grave implications for the individual, family, and the society in terms of mental capital, productivity, and socioeconomic progress. Tackling the escalating burden of stroke in Africa requires prioritized, multipronged, and inter-sectoral strategies tailored to the unique African epidemiological, cultural, socioeconomic, and lifestyle landscape.