Spark Health Africa was born out of a partnership between Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and the University of Cape Town, Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) to explore how leadership and management development principles and practices could be used to accelerate the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV (“eMTCT”) in Africa. Spark Health Africa seeks to enhance the capacity of teams and individuals within Ministries of Health to think differently about their work, solve their own problems, and identify and take ownership of health system changes. Spark Health works directly with African Ministries of Health that are working rigorously to achieve key health targets, such as eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, increasing viral load suppression and reducing child and maternal mortality. Spark Health Africa’s main constituent is the District Health Management Teams (DHMTs), while at the same time supporting and strengthening the ecosystem around the DHMTs such as national and provincial leaders and teams, as well as relevant local implementing partners who support the government in achieving its goals.
