On May 26, 2026, RESADE organized a workshop in Ouagadougou to review the results of the final phase of the Minimal Digital Ecosystem (EDM) evaluation. Actors from the Ministry of Health and technical and financial partners discussed the achievements and challenges of this initiative to digitalize primary healthcare in Burkina Faso.
Evaluation context and objectives
Launched in July 2023 in the Ziniaré and Ténado health districts, the EDM aims to strengthen governance, efficiency and quality of care in health structures. The evaluation, conducted by RESADE between May 2025 and February 2026, in the health districts of Ténado and Ziniaré, with Manga and Sapouy selected as control districts.
The objectives of the workshop were to share the results with the stakeholders concerned, to discuss the results of the assessment, and to gather comments and validate the report.
| 7 / 8 Digital tools progressing between phases 4 and 5 |
> 90 % Head nurses confirm positive impact of EDM |
x 2 Health training in profile Success (from 23 to 44 structures) |
Significant progress in the field
The evaluation reveals a progressive appropriation and use of the tools in the health districts. Seven of the eight digital tools deployed are currently in use. The number of high-performing facilities has almost doubled, from 23 to 44 out of the 72 surveyed. Facilities that were underperforming are catching up, reflecting a steady improvement in tool implementation.
Support from those working in the field is strong: over 90% of head nurses feel that the EDM has a positive impact, and almost 97% say they use the data in their decision-making. An improvement in user satisfaction, particularly among parturients, has also been noted.
Overcoming structural challenges
- Unstable or unavailable Internet connectivity in some district locations, hampering data transmission
- Low availability of financial resources for Internet subscription, maintenance and equipment renewal
- Unavailability of a stable source of electrical power to run digital equipment
- Incomplete interoperability of digital tools
- Unavailability of an EDM dashboard to better guide decision-making at all levels of the health pyramid.
- Insufficient training for decision-makers
- Absence of dedicated budget lines for the EDM within the Ministry of Health
- Governance to be clarified: focal points not operational, coordination challenges between the Ministry of Health and partner NGOs.
In particular, the report stressed the need to take careful account of the challenges and shortcomings identified as a prelude to scaling up.
Workshop recommendations
At the end of the discussions, the participants agreed on the main recommendations made by the evaluators:
| Correction of systemic tool bugs | Activating the decision-making loop: deploying the dashboard |
| Ensuring sustainability through the inclusion of a dedicated budget line for digitization in the MS budget | Governance reform: reactivation of statutory bodies (COPIL and Technical Group) |
| Consolidate existing tools before further scaling up | Evaluation of the transition phase to CeNIS |
Towards a National Center for Health Intelligence
Over and above the immediate challenges, the workshop helped to outline a longer-term vision. The EDM is now seen as a step towards the creation of a Centre National d’Intelligence Sanitaire (CeNIS), tasked with centralizing, analyzing and valorizing healthcare data for the strategic steering of the system.
This transition to a more integrated platform, centered on the patient’s pathway, enjoys consensus among the players involved. However, participants insisted on the need for rigorous, gradual planning to preserve what has already been achieved.
In brief
The final EDM evaluation report was approved by acclamation at the end of the workshop, subject to the amendments made being taken into account. The initiative has succeeded in kick-starting the digitization of Burkina Faso’s healthcare system, and enjoys strong support. The coming months will be decisive in consolidating these achievements and fully activating the data-driven decision-making loop.
