REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1648970
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Public Health Workforce Competencies: AI Integration and Post-Pandemic Educational ReformsView all 10 articles
Post-Pandemic Era: Global Trends, Benefits, and Barriers in Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Public Health Education
Provisionally accepted
Adewunmi Akingbola1*
Abiodun Adegbesan2
Samuel Tundealao3
Akpevwe Emmanuella Benson4
Abdulfatai Makinde5Mayowa Shekoni5Khalid Animashaun5Tosin Fakiyesi6- 1University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- 2Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- 3Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Brunswick, United States
- 4University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria
- 5Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ojo, Nigeria
- 6University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
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Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge to public health systems globally, with African countries exhibiting a wide range of outcomes in terms of preparedness, response, and resilience. This review explores the public health strategies deployed across the African continent during the pandemic, highlighting key successes, identifying critical failures, and synthesizing lessons to inform future health emergency preparedness. Drawing on existing literature, policy documents, and epidemiological data, the study examines the roles of leadership, community engagement, health communication, diagnostic capacity, and vaccine deployment. While several African countries successfully leveraged past epidemic experience, decentralized health systems, and innovative communication strategies, others struggled with misinformation, weak surveillance, and limited critical care infrastructure. The review also discusses the role of international collaboration, local innovation, and donor dependence in shaping response outcomes. Lessons from Africa's handling of COVID-19 underline the importance of strengthening public health infrastructure, investing in health workforce development, improving health information systems, and ensuring equitable access to vaccines and therapeutics. This paper contributes to the growing discourse on pandemic preparedness and highlights Africa's potential not only as a site of vulnerability but also of resilience and innovation in global public health.
Keywords: COVID-19, Public health response, Africa, Pandemic preparedness, Health Systems, Vaccine equity
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 12 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Akingbola, Adegbesan, Tundealao, Benson, Makinde, Shekoni, Animashaun and Fakiyesi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Adewunmi Akingbola, akingbolaadewunmi@gmail.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.