Using news as signal to explore healthcare R&D in Africa

Research Purpose: A key component of the second phase of the Health Discourse Research Initiative (HDRI) is a multi-pronged partnership between MEAG and Code for Africa, a regional civic technology organization. In addition to two-way technical support, the partnership outlined a joint research agenda between the two organizations, focused on global health in African geographies with a lens of spotting and examining misinformation. Using CivicSignal, Code for Africa’s locally hosted instance of Media Cloud populated with African collections and sources, the joint research team explored news coverage of healthcare research and development in three African countries: Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Specifically, the study sought to understand the level of news attention to developments in healthcare R&D, what diseases are being prioritized in media coverage, what are the most common types of developments, which entities are featured prominently in coverage, and whether misinformation is a significant factor in this critical global health subtopic. 

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Key Findings: 

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As detailed in the resulting peer-reviewed paper in the African Journal of Information and Communication, the study revealed the following key findings: 

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1. While there was an overall low level of attention to the topic, at less than 0.1% of stories matching the topical query for any of the three countries, this is unsurprising as the query was designed to isolate highly pertinent coverage to a specific issue in health news, and as previous studies have found that health-related news accounts for less than 4% of all news published. However, the events that increased coverage included new medical education programmes, the activities of high-profile  individuals  in  the  health  space  (such  as  Bill  Gates’  visit  to  Niger  and  Nigeria), and groundbreaking health treatment innovations (such as the AfriValve asthma pump spacer).
   
   
2. The  most  prominent  types  of  developments  in  coverage  were  those related to health  delivery  programs or practices,  and funding  drives  or  financial  investments, including both government investments and startup funding; conversely, new medications were the least prominent type of development covered.
   
   
3. HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, cancer, maternal health, and mental health were the most frequently  mentioned  health  conditions. Infectious  diseases  were  the  focus  in  approximately  one  in  three  articles  with a specific condition of focus, while mental health was the focus in approximately one in five.
   
   
4. Technology was a prominent theme covered, with approximately 15% of healthcare R&D articles pertaining to some form of technological intervention or digital health.  “AI”  or  “artificial  intelligence”  appeared  in  the  most  frequently  used  keywords  and  phrases  for  all  countries  studied. This was in stark contrast to the 2% of articles of healthcare research and development that made reference to traditional medicine.
   
   

The most frequently featured entities tended to be high-ranking government officials, namely presidents and the heads of both federal and state health authorities. However, the prominence of specific government officials varied, with Kenya and Nigeria showing a higher concentration of attention on a few key figures, and Nigeria and South Africa showing both national and state-level actors, particularly in key states. Researchers, research institutes, and health companies also had a notable presence in the coverage of all three countries, highlighting the importance of academic and private sector contributions to healthcare R&D. The significance of international collaboration and guidance in advancing healthcare R&D is underscored by intergovernmental health bodies, such as the WHO, also featuring prominently in the coverage of all three countries.