Introduction
Neurosurgical training in Africa is critically limited and expensive. The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies(EANS) Global Humanitarian Committee partnered with Continental African Neurosurgical Societies(CAANS), West African College of Surgeons(WACS), and College of Surgeons of East, Central & Southern Africa(COSECSA) to adapt its established curriculum of the training courses for African residents&early-career neurosurgeons and piloted the First Pan-African course in May 2025.
Research question
Does a collaborative, context-adapted international Pan-African EANS course enhance neurosurgical knowledge in resource-limited African settings and prove feasible for capacity building in LMIC practice?
Materials and methods
The five-day Pan-African Neurosurgery Training Course (May 2025, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) covered vascular neurosurgery&skull base. Fifty-eight pre-course and 61 post-course surveys assessed participant demographics, institutional resources, baseline/post-training self-rated knowledge (5-point scale), and feedback from 19 nations.
Results
Mean knowledge scores increased from 2.5 → 4.1 for vascular neurosurgery (64.0 % improvement, P < 0.001) and 2.6 → 4.0 for skull base (53.8 % improvement, P < 0.001). Overall course quality was 4.7/5. Interactive formats (breakout sessions/discussion groups) were highest-rated (4.8/5), content adaptation to LMIC-settings was 4.5/5. All participants expressed interest in future courses; 95.1 % were willing to serve as future faculty and indicated institutions could host future courses. Interest in partnerships: training workshops(90.2 %), research collaboration(90.2 %), fellow exchanges(88.3 %).
Discussion and conclusion
This inaugural Pan-African EANS-supported training course demonstrates that collaborative, contextually adapted education effectively enhances neurosurgical knowledge in resource-constrained settings. Exceptional satisfaction, substantial knowledge gains, and universal demand for continuation provide strong evidence for program expansion. This reproducible model establishes a scalable framework for sustainable capacity-building across Africa.
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