What does it take to build a learning healthcare system? It starts at the frontline, with people who see gaps in care and are willing to ask, What can we do differently?

At ACQUIRE, we believe building learning healthcare systems across Africa means planting QI-PS seeds in institutions, from the grassroots up, equipping teams to identify problems, test changes, learn from data, and keep improving.
The need is urgent. Between 5.7 and 8.4 million deaths are attributed to poor quality care each year in low- and middle-income countries, accounting for up to 15% of deaths. Preventing this harm requires more than knowing what good care looks like. It requires improvement science and the ability to apply it in complex healthcare systems.

From reducing patient waiting times and improving incident reporting to addressing staff burnout, strengthening clinical handover, and improving patient feedback management, this is the work that has been undertaken by 61 frontline healthcare teams across 9 African countries through the ACQUIRE Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Experiential Leadership Program, Cohort 2 of 2026.

16 weeks of learning by doing

From 18 June, teams moved QI-PS from theory into practice, first building the foundations for effective teamwork, open communication, clear responsibilities, and understanding the current state before acting. They then applied structured problem solving, measurement, root-cause analysis, evidence-based implementation, and PDSA testing to real challenges within their institutions.

The journey reinforced that improvement is not about choosing an intervention and hoping it works. It is about learning by testing, using data to understand what is changing, adapting when something does not work, and testing again. By recording and using data, teams could distinguish between running and wandering and running and learning, making informed decisions about what to do next. Throughout the journey, one lesson remained central: quality and patient safety takes endless learning, unlearning and re-learning.

Sixteen weeks cannot resolve every complex healthcare challenge, and a completed QI project is not the same as a permanently changed system.

But something important is happening.

More healthcare professionals are gaining practical experience in improvement science. More institutions have teams that have worked together to understand a problem, examine data, test changes, and learn from the results. More people are experiencing what it means to move from identifying a problem to systematically working towards a solution.

The seed is being planted.
And in some institutions, we are beginning to see it take root.

The real test is what happens next: whether teams continue measuring, learning, adapting, and sharing what they discover. Whether interventions are sustained. Whether the people who have developed these skills bring others into the work. Whether one improvement team becomes the starting point for a wider culture of learning.
That is where the momentum matters.

And patience in consistency is the main ingredient.

From 6 to 8 October 2026, we celebrate these 61 teams, their coaches, lead coaches, and institutional leaders.
Graduation is not the end. It is a moment to celebrate, listen to the stories behind the projects, and recognise how long sustained effort can take to become meaningful change.

The seeds have been planted. Now, let us see what grows.