The ADHA Digital Health Competency Framework
African-tailored and globally credible: seven competency domains across three tiers, grounded in the founders' book and benchmarked to WHO, AMIA, IMIA, TIGER and the Africa CDC model. Engineered to be ISO/IEC 17024 and CPD-accreditable.
One ladder, three tiers.
One ladder, three tiers: formal Level I / II / SME, named for the role you grow into.
ADHA Foundation Practitioner
Grounded in core knowledge; performs defined tasks under guidance.
- Credential
- ADHA Foundation Certificate
- How it's earned
- Coursework + a proctored knowledge exam + observed practical skills checks.
ADHA Applied Practitioner
Independently applies competencies to real problems; leads a mentored project.
- Credential
- ADHA Practitioner Certificate
- How it's earned
- Module assessments + a real, mentored in-country improvement project, SME-reviewed: the gate.
ADHA Expert Practitioner
Designs systems and policy; assesses and mentors Levels I–II.
- Credential
- ADHA Subject Matter Expert (ADHA-SME)
- How it's earned
- Expert dossier + peer recognition, reviewed by the ADHA Expert Panel; then serves as an assessor.
Choose your journey.
Like a professional body, ADHA offers named certification pathways, each a named credential you build across the tiers. Programs run hybrid: online modules and live sessions, with a one-day in-person closure and certification exam.
AI in Clinical Practice
Use AI safely and effectively at the point of care.
View pathwayLevel I → Level IIDigital Health Systems & Telemedicine
Design and run digital-health services in low-resource settings.
View pathwayLevel I → SMEHealth Data & Interoperability
Make systems talk: standards, exchange, and analytics.
View pathwayLevel I → SMEResponsible AI & Governance
Govern health AI: ethics, privacy law, and data protection.
View pathwayLevel II → SMEDigital Health Leadership
Lead national digital-health strategy and investment.
View pathwayLevel II → SMEDigital Health Project Management
Plan, deliver, and scale projects from pilot to platform.
View pathwaySeven domains × three tiers.
Every cell is a concrete can-do statement. Each domain maps to the book's chapters and to a named domain in the world's reference frameworks.
| Domain | Level I: Foundation | Level II: Applied | SME: Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1Digital Health Foundations & Ecosystem Literacy | Explains digital-health taxonomy and Africa's three transitions; names national platforms (DHIS2, OpenMRS); operates offline-capable apps safely. | Orients teams to the national ecosystem and maturity model; links continental strategy (WHO, AU, Africa CDC) to local choices. | Shapes national digital-health strategy and ecosystem architecture; benchmarks maturity; validates curricula. |
| D2Health Data Management & Analytics | Captures accurate data; applies indicators, registers and denominators to calculate coverage; runs basic data-quality checks and finds duplicates; reads dashboards. | Designs collection instruments; analyses in DHIS2 / Excel / R / Python; leads data-quality audits. | Designs national data-quality frameworks; leads linked and longitudinal analysis; publishes findings. |
| D3HIS Architecture, Interoperability & Standards | Distinguishes standalone vs interoperable systems; uses FHIR / LOINC / ICD terminology; configures basic DHIS2 metadata. | Configures DHIS2 (Tracker / Event / Aggregate); implements FHIR exchange; places tools in the OpenHIE architecture. | Designs national HIS enterprise architecture; leads interoperability-layer builds; advises on procurement and exit strategy. |
| D4Digital Health Governance, Policy & Ethics | Maintains confidentiality and digital consent; applies lawful data-sharing and access rules; practises cyber-hygiene; identifies the applicable national data-protection law and knows what a DPIA is. | Drafts data-sharing agreements and privacy policies; assesses tools for bias and equity using WHO AI-ethics principles. | Develops national data-protection / AI-ethics frameworks; advises ministries; leads cross-border data-governance negotiation. |
| D5Sociotechnical Implementation & Change Management | Explains why implementations fail beyond the technical; maps stakeholders; delivers structured, offline-first training. | Leads an implementation end-to-end (WHO DIIG lifecycle); applies NASSS; designs for scale; runs monitoring and evaluation. | Designs implementation-science frameworks for national programs; builds total-cost-of-ownership models; mentors rollout teams. |
| D6Clinical & Public Health Informatics Applications | Uses EMR / registries for clinical entry; follows telemedicine etiquette; enters IDSR / SORMAS data; knows CDSS can be overridden. | Configures DHIS2 Tracker for a program; selects mHealth channels; runs telemedicine models; analyses outbreak data; applies GIS. | Designs national surveillance architecture; leads outbreak-response informatics; designs CDSS / SMART guidelines; mandates local AI validation. |
| D7Digital Health Leadership, Strategy & Innovation | Articulates the investment case for an intervention; contributes to a funding proposal; evaluates a new tool critically. | Writes investment cases that convince ministries; leads multidisciplinary teams; negotiates AI vendor validation and exit clauses. | Advises governments and donors on strategy; leads health-tech ecosystems as a market-maker; builds the leadership cadre. |
Scroll horizontally to see all three tiers on smaller screens.
- African cases only
- Offline-first
- CPD-mapped
- Critical-adopter, not cheerleader
The module ladder.
Each tier is a stack of modules mapped to the founders' book. Assessment escalates: Level I knowledge + practical, Level II a mentored in-country project, SME an expert dossier.
ADHA Foundation Practitioner
- 1.1D1
Introduction to Digital Health in Africa
Assessment: Quiz
- 1.2D1
UHC & the Digital Imperative
Assessment: Quiz
- 1.3D1
Reading the Health Information Ecosystem
Assessment: Worksheet
- 1.4D1
Foundational Digital Health Literacy
Assessment: Practical check
- 1.5D2
Health Data Management Basics
Assessment: Data exercise
- 1.6D4
Ethics, Privacy & Security Basics
Assessment: Scenario
- 1.7D6
Working Safely with Clinical Tools
Assessment: System-based
- 1.8D6 · D4
AI Awareness for Clinicians
Assessment: Scenario
ADHA Applied Practitioner
- 2.1D6
Clinical Informatics in Practice
Assessment: Workplace task
- 2.2D3
The Digital Health Platform Architecture
Assessment: Config lab
- 2.3D5
Designing with Health Journeys
Assessment: Requirements artefact
- 2.4D6
Telemedicine & mHealth Implementation
Assessment: Implementation design
- 2.5D4 · D3
Policy, Governance & Interoperability
Assessment: Policy memo
- 2.6D4
Data Governance, Privacy Law & Cybersecurity
Assessment: DPIA draft
- 2.7D5
Implementation Science: Pilot to Scale
Assessment: Mentored project plan
- 2.8D5
Change Management & Workforce Development
Assessment: Change plan
ADHA Expert Practitioner
- 3.1D7 · D5
Advanced Competency Frameworks & Workforce Governance
Assessment: Assessor calibration
- 3.2D4 · D7
National Strategy Development & Enforcement
Assessment: Strategy dossier
- 3.3D2
Data Science, Big Data & Advanced Analytics
Assessment: Analytics design
- 3.4D6 · D4
Artificial Intelligence in African Health Systems
Assessment: AI governance dossier
- 3.5D6
Frontier Tech: RPM, IoT & Edge-AI Diagnostics
Assessment: Tech assessment
- 3.6D7
Health-Tech Entrepreneurship & Ecosystem Development
Assessment: Venture case
- 3.7D7 · D4
Health Financing Integration for Digital Systems
Assessment: Sustainability model
- 3.8D4
Governing the AI & Data Future
Assessment: Governance simulation
Designed for ISO/IEC 17024 and CPD accreditation from day one.
Separation
An independent Certification Division: training and assessment never decided by the same people.
Job-task analysis
Every credential is built from a practitioner-led JTA, not course content.
Defensible assessment
Secure item banks, standard-setting, and inter-rater reliability.
CPD mapping
1 CPD point = 1 hour of assessed learning.