FEP-ACT4: Addressing the Commercial Determinants of Health in Sub-Saharan Africa

This project aims to explore how three unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs), alcohol, ultra-processed food (UPF), and fossil fuels influence population health in SSA and to inform the development of coherent policies to promote health and sustainable development.

The specific objectives include: mapping the health impacts of key commercial determinants of health (CDoH) in SSA and strategic links in corporate political activity across alcohol, UPF, and fossil fuel industries; using economic modeling and evaluation to inform policies to effectively regulate unhealthy commodity industries; examining how health governance can be enhanced by managing conflict of interest and promoting policy coherence; exploring how CDoH research can inform efforts to promote health equity and tackle power imbalances, in co-production with communities and civil society partners.  

This proposed research will be conducted in South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya, and it will address national priorities, develop a sustainable research agenda, and promote South-South learning. It will enable innovative comparative studies across industries, policy spheres, and country contexts, extending the scope of CDoH research geographically, empirically, and analytically.

Project period: 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2028

Funder: NIHR UK

Partners:

• PRICELESS
• University of Witwatersrand
• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST, Ghana)
• Global Health Policy Unit
• University of Edinburgh. 

Project team:

• Gershim Asiki
• Charity Shete
• Veronica Ojiambo
• Shukri Mohamed
• Patrick Ilboudo
• Jane Mangwana