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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Stroke
Sec. Preventative Health and Stroke Complications
Volume 4 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fstro.2025.1555554
This article is part of the Research Topic Stroke Realities in Africa: Challenges and Solutions View all articles

Developing a Strategic Action Plan for Reducing the Burden of Stroke in Africa: Report of the First African Stroke Leaders' Summit

Provisionally accepted
Rufus Olusola Akinyemi Rufus Olusola Akinyemi 1*Paul Olowoyo Paul Olowoyo 2Stephanie Jones Stephanie Jones 3Olaleye Adeniji Olaleye Adeniji 4Gabriel Ogunde Gabriel Ogunde 5Joseph Spencer Joseph Spencer 6Foad Abd-Allah Foad Abd-Allah 7Albert Akpalu Albert Akpalu 8Liz Lightbody Liz Lightbody 9Joseph Yaria Joseph Yaria 4Fred S Sarfo Fred S Sarfo 10Pamela Naidoo Pamela Naidoo 11Sarah Belson Sarah Belson 12Ebenezer Ad Adams Ebenezer Ad Adams 13Ahmed Nasreldein Ahmed Nasreldein 14Akintomiwa Makanjuola Akintomiwa Makanjuola 4Deanna Saylor Deanna Saylor 15Lucia Ojewale Lucia Ojewale 16Daniel Youkee Daniel Youkee 17Thierry Adoukonou Thierry Adoukonou 18Akinkunmi Paul Okekunle Akinkunmi Paul Okekunle 19Benjamin Anyanwu Benjamin Anyanwu 20Njideka Ulunma Okubadejo Njideka Ulunma Okubadejo 21Kathleen Bateman Kathleen Bateman 22Rita Melifonwu Rita Melifonwu 23Reginald Obiako Reginald Obiako 24Oyedunni Arulogun Oyedunni Arulogun 25Kolawole Wahab Kolawole Wahab 26Philip B Adebayo Philip B Adebayo 27Patty Francis Patty Francis 28Paul Ossu-Nguiet Paul Ossu-Nguiet 29Augustina Charway-Felly Augustina Charway-Felly 30Godwin Ogbole Godwin Ogbole 31Yomi Ogun Yomi Ogun 32Richard Walker Richard Walker 33Mehari Gebreyohanns Mehari Gebreyohanns 34Peter Langhorne Peter Langhorne 35Bo Norrving Bo Norrving 36Bruce Ovbiagele Bruce Ovbiagele 37Raj Kalaria Raj Kalaria 38Adesola Ogunniyi Adesola Ogunniyi 4Caroline Leigh Watkins Caroline Leigh Watkins 9Mayowa Ojo Owolabi Mayowa Ojo Owolabi 39
  • 1 University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
  • 2 Department of Medicine, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti, Ido Ekiti, Nigeria
  • 3 University of Central Lancashire, Preston,, Lancashire, United Kingdom
  • 4 Department of Neurology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
  • 5 Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
  • 6 University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
  • 7 Department of Neurology, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt
  • 8 University of Ghana Medical School/Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
  • 9 University of Central Lancashire, Preston, England, United Kingdom
  • 10 Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology; Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
  • 11 Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa/University of the Western Cape, Western Cape, South Africa
  • 12 World Stroke Organization, Geneva, Switzerland/ Stroke Association, London, United Kingdom
  • 13 Stroke Association Support Network-Ghana (SASNET-GHANA), Accra, Ghana
  • 14 Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Asyut, Egypt
  • 15 Department of Internal Medicine, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
  • 16 Faculty of Nursing, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
  • 17 School of Life course & Population Health Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
  • 18 Department of Neurology, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin
  • 19 Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 20 Regions Neuroscience Hospital, Owerri, Nigeria
  • 21 Department of Medicine, University of Lagos/Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
  • 22 Neurology Unit Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
  • 23 Stroke Action Nigeria, Ime Obi Ogbeoza, Onitsha, Nigeria
  • 24 Department of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria
  • 25 Department of Health Promotion and Education, University College Hospital Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
  • 26 Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
  • 27 Aga-Khan University, Medical College East Africa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • 28 Neurological Association of South Africa (NASA), Pretoria, South Africa
  • 29 Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit, University Hospital of Brazzaville, Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 30 Neurology Department, 37 Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana
  • 31 Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
  • 32 Lagos State University College of Medicine; Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
  • 33 Department of Medicine, North Tyneside General Hospital, Rake Lane, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
  • 34 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States
  • 35 University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK; Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • 36 Lund University, Lund, Sweden
  • 37 Weill Institute for Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San-Francisco, San Francisco, United States
  • 38 Clinical and Translational Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle, United Kingdom
  • 39 Department of Neurology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Stroke is a leading cause of adult neurologic disability, cognitive decline, and death worldwide, and particularly in Africa. Stroke research in Africa has exposed challenges militating against the translation of research evidence into practice and policy. The evidence-based, context-sensitive multilevel strategies required to surmount these challenges are presented in this report on the first African Stroke Leaders' Summit (ASLS) organized to tackle the burden of stroke in Africa. Methods: The Africa -UK Stroke Partnership (AUKSP) Project had a Steering Committee (SC) and four themebased Working Groups (WGs): stroke services, stroke training/capacity building, research and stroke advocacy, each with defined terms of reference. These groups generated 20 priorities (5 per thematic area) during breakout sessions at the first ASLS which were further refined into four topmost priorities (1 per thematic area) at the general consensus session. Results: The topmost priorities included promoting the development of acute stroke services (stroke services), strengthening population-based stroke education focusing on prevention and symptom recognition (stroke training), research on hypertension control to reduce stroke risk (stroke research), and developing national stroke action plans (advocacy).Conclusion: Sustained reduction of stroke burden in Africa requires the adaptation of best practices to the African context, building the capacity of African stroke care professionals and using available resources with political support. Improving stroke literacy in African communities is a complementary strategy to reinforce healthy lifestyle choices and improve screening and detection of hypertension and other modifiable stroke risk factors. This process will culminate in a strategic African Stroke Action Plan (ASAP), the blueprint for the control of stroke in Africa.

    Keywords: Africa, Stroke burden, Leaders' Summit, Strategic action plan, African, Report

    Received: 04 Jan 2025; Accepted: 03 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Akinyemi, Olowoyo, Jones, Adeniji, Ogunde, Spencer, Abd-Allah, Akpalu, Lightbody, Yaria, Sarfo, Naidoo, Belson, Ad Adams, Nasreldein, Makanjuola, Saylor, Ojewale, Youkee, Adoukonou, Okekunle, Anyanwu, Okubadejo, Bateman, Melifonwu, Obiako, Arulogun, Wahab, Adebayo, Francis, Ossu-Nguiet, Charway-Felly, Ogbole, Ogun, Walker, Gebreyohanns, Langhorne, Norrving, Ovbiagele, Kalaria, Ogunniyi, Watkins and Owolabi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Rufus Olusola Akinyemi, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 200284, Oyo, Nigeria

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.