East African Association of Neurological Surgeons (EAANS) President Prof. Christopher Musau, Innsbruck Medical University Prof. Claudius Thome, Aga Khan University Hospital Consultant Neurosurgeon Edwin Mogere & European Association of Neurosurgical Societies Chair, Global and Humanitarian Neurosurgery Committee Magnus Tisell during the Pan-African European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS)-Supported Training Course, bringing together more than 170 neurosurgical specialists, faculty members and residents from across Africa and Europe
Aga Khan University (AKU) has brought together more than 170 neurosurgeons, medical specialists and residents from Africa and Europe for a five-day training programme aimed at strengthening specialist brain and spine care across the continent.
The Pan-African European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS)-supported training course, running from November 9 to 13 in Nairobi, is focusing on improving surgical skills, sharing clinical expertise and equipping young neurosurgeons to manage complex neurological conditions.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of a serious shortage of neurosurgical specialists in Africa, where the number of trained professionals remains far below the level needed to serve the continent’s growing population.
A 2024 study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery found that Africa has only 0.11 neurosurgeons per 100,000 people, compared with a global average of 0.93 and 2.44 in high-income countries.
The figures highlight the widening gap in access to specialised neurological care and the need to invest in training, professional development and local medical capacity.
Dr Beverly Cheserem, Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa, and a consultant neurosurgeon at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, said the training was taking place at a critical time for African healthcare.
“Despite having a population of approximately 1.5 billion people and one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations, Africa continues to face a significant shortage of neurosurgeons and neuroscience specialists,” she said.
Cheserem said the programme was designed to improve the quality of neurosurgical care while ensuring African specialists keep pace with developments in a rapidly changing medical field.
A major part of the training focuses on neuro-oncology, covering brain and spinal tumours, paediatric neurosurgery and neuroendoscopy.
These areas were selected to address growing clinical needs and expose participants to developments in disease classification, treatment guidelines and surgical techniques.
Prof Edwin Mogere, Associate Professor at Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa, and a consultant neurosurgeon at Aga Khan University Hospital, said the programme was not simply about teaching surgical procedures but also ensuring specialists remained up to date with scientific evidence.
“The priority is not only to create opportunities to develop surgical skills but also to ensure that we continuously update our knowledge with the latest scientific evidence. We want to build the most competent group of neurosurgeons on the African continent, equipped to provide the best possible care to our patients locally,” said Mogere.
Beyond the technical aspects of surgery, the course is also examining how international medical standards can be applied in African hospitals, where specialists often work with limited equipment, infrastructure and resources.
Prof Claudius Thome, President-Elect of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, said bringing specialists from different regions together would help identify practical ways of adapting established treatment guidelines to local healthcare conditions.
“Bringing specialists together allows us to examine the realities of neurosurgical practice across our continents and explore how international guidelines and protocols can be adapted to the local African contexts,” he said.
Through expert lectures and case-based discussions, participants are examining complex medical scenarios, sharing experiences from their respective countries and discussing approaches to improving patient outcomes.
Dr Christopher Musau, President of the East African Association of Neurological Surgeons (EAANS), said the partnership demonstrated the importance of collaboration between medical professionals working in different healthcare environments.
He noted that African specialists also had valuable experience and knowledge to contribute, particularly in developing treatment approaches suited to the realities of healthcare delivery on the continent.
“Learning should be a two-way exchange. While we benefit from the experience and expertise of our European colleagues, we also have valuable knowledge and approaches developed through our own experiences and the realities of practising in African settings,” Musau said.
“By bringing these perspectives together, we can learn from one another and develop more effective ways of managing patients and delivering neurosurgical care,” he added.
The collaboration draws on the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies’ experience in promoting structured and standardised neurosurgical training across Europe.
By bringing African and European faculty members together, the programme seeks to strengthen specialist education, encourage professional exchange and develop approaches that reflect the specific needs of African healthcare systems.
For Africa, where access to neurosurgical specialists remains limited, the long-term challenge will be translating such training opportunities into a larger and better-equipped workforce capable of providing specialised care closer to home.
