The World Federation of Neurology: Educational Experiences in Africa
Wolfgang Grisold¹˒², Steven L. Lewis³
¹ Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
² Austrian Academy of Physicians, Vienna, Austria
³ World Federation of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
Corresponding Author:
Prof. Wolfgang Grisold
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology
Donaueschingenstraße 13, A-1200 Vienna, Austria
Email: grisoldw@gmail.com
Abstract
Background
The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) promotes neurology and brain health worldwide through a broad range of educational initiatives designed to strengthen neurological care, training, and professional development. Africa faces a particularly high burden of neurological disease while simultaneously experiencing major shortages in neurological workforce capacity and educational infrastructure.
Objective
This review examines the educational activities of the WFN in Africa, focusing on individual training initiatives, global educational programmes, and advocacy and leadership development.
Discussion
WFN educational activities include individual fellowships, department visits, congress bursaries, grants, structured Training Centres, virtual educational programmes, continuing medical education initiatives, and leadership training. Since 2013, WFN Training Centres established in Rabat, Cairo, Dakar, and Cape Town have provided structured neurology training and subspecialty fellowships for African neurologists. Additional initiatives include Educational Days, the Digital Neurology Update platform, collaboration with international organisations, and the joint American Academy of Neurology–WFN Global Advocacy and Leadership Program (GALP). Despite these achievements, educational expansion remains constrained by limited financial resources, workforce shortages, language diversity, and persistent concerns regarding brain drain.
Conclusions
WFN educational programmes have become an important mechanism for strengthening neurology education and professional development across Africa. Continued international collaboration, expansion of regional training capacity, sustainable financing, and broader accreditation structures will be essential to further support neurological workforce development and improve access to neurological care across the continent.
Keywords
Neurology education; Africa; World Federation of Neurology; training programmes; advocacy; leadership; continuing medical education; neurological workforce
Introduction
The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) represents 126 neurological societies worldwide and aims to promote neurology and brain health through education, advocacy, research, and professional collaboration. One of the central priorities of the WFN has been the development of educational programmes designed to strengthen neurological care and workforce capacity, particularly within low- and low-middle-income countries.
Africa faces a particularly urgent need for neurological workforce development. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion people and rapid demographic growth, the continent carries a disproportionately high burden of neurological disease. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, western and central sub-Saharan Africa demonstrate the highest age-standardised disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) rates attributable to neurological disorders worldwide. Conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, meningitis, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, dementia, and diabetic neuropathy contribute substantially to morbidity and mortality across the region.
Despite this growing burden, access to neurological care remains limited in many African countries because of workforce shortages, insufficient training opportunities, inadequate infrastructure, and limited health system prioritisation of neurological diseases.
Over recent decades, the WFN has progressively expanded its educational activities across Africa through a combination of individual fellowships, department visits, structured training centres, virtual educational programmes, continuing medical education initiatives, and advocacy training. These initiatives aim not only to train neurologists, but also to strengthen local educational capacity and promote long-term sustainability through “training the trainer” models.
This review examines the evolution and current structure of WFN educational activities in Africa and discusses both achievements and ongoing challenges in strengthening neurology education across the continent.
Neurological Disease Burden and Educational Needs in Africa
The educational needs in Africa are closely linked to the epidemiology of neurological disease across the continent. Sub-Saharan Africa experiences some of the highest neurological disease burdens globally, with substantial contributions from stroke, epilepsy, infectious diseases affecting the nervous system, neonatal neurological injury, and trauma.
The age structure of many African populations further shapes healthcare priorities. Compared with many high-income regions, Africa has a younger population profile, resulting in a particularly high burden of neurological disease among children and young adults. Conditions such as neonatal encephalopathy, meningitis, and encephalitis contribute substantially to neurological disability in younger populations.
At the same time, increasing urbanisation, ageing populations, and epidemiological transition are contributing to rising prevalence of non-communicable neurological disorders including stroke, dementia, and movement disorders.
These trends create growing demand for:
- Neurologists
- Neurorehabilitation services
- Stroke care
- Epilepsy services
- Neurocritical care
- Continuing medical education
- Subspecialty expertise
However, neurological services remain unevenly distributed across the continent, with major differences between North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southern Africa, as well as between urban and rural regions.
Additional complexity arises from linguistic and educational diversity. English-speaking, French-speaking, Arabic-speaking, and Portuguese-speaking African countries often follow different academic traditions and training curricula, influencing neurology education structures across regions.
Evolution of WFN Educational Activities in Africa
The WFN has supported educational initiatives in Africa for several decades through travel fellowships, congress bursaries, and educational grants. Over time, these activities evolved into more structured programmes aimed at building sustainable regional training capacity.
A major milestone occurred in 2013 with the establishment of the first WFN Training Centre in Rabat, Morocco. The Training Centre model was developed following structured applications and external evaluation procedures modelled partly on the visitation processes of the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes (UEMS).
Subsequently, additional WFN Training Centres were established in Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), and Cape Town (South Africa). These centres now provide both full neurology residency training and one-year post-residency fellowships in subspecialties such as stroke, epilepsy, and neuromuscular disorders.
The WFN has also promoted short-term educational exchanges through department visit programmes involving institutions in Europe, Canada, India, and other regions. These observerships aim to expose young neurologists to different healthcare systems, clinical practices, and research environments while encouraging future international collaboration.
Although these programmes have significantly contributed to neurological education, the authors acknowledge that current capacity remains insufficient relative to the educational needs of the African continent.
WFN Training Centres
The WFN Training Centres constitute one of the federation’s most important educational initiatives in Africa.
Training Centres offer either full four-year neurology training programmes or one-year fellowships designed for post-residency subspecialty training or advanced general neurology exposure.
Centres seeking WFN accreditation undergo formal assessment processes involving:
- Institutional evaluation
- Faculty review
- Curriculum assessment
- Hospital infrastructure review
- Interviews with trainees and institutional leadership
The evaluation process follows principles derived from UEMS visitation standards.
The Rabat Training Centre has become particularly successful and has benefited from additional support through the International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases (ICNMD), allowing expanded neuromuscular fellowship opportunities.
Importantly, the WFN Training Centres are not solely educational projects but also represent significant administrative and logistical undertakings. The programmes require:
- Application management
- Selection committees
- Funding administration
- Travel coordination
- Housing arrangements
- Health insurance coverage
- Professional indemnity management
Most programme funding is provided directly by the WFN, with substantial administrative support coordinated through the WFN office in London.
The authors also discuss several criticisms raised by African neurological communities, including the relatively limited number of available training positions, the need for additional Training Centres, expansion of subspecialty training opportunities, and development of broader academic exchange partnerships.
Department Visits and Individual Educational Support
In addition to formal Training Centres, the WFN has long supported short-term department visits and individual educational initiatives.
Department visits generally involve 4–6-week observerships at internationally recognised neurology departments. Participants primarily observe clinical practice and healthcare systems while developing professional networks and gaining exposure to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Participating institutions have included centres in Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Turkey, Canada, and India. Over the years, at least fifty neurologists have participated in these programmes.
The WFN also supports Junior Travelling Fellowships and congress bursaries, particularly for young neurologists from low- and low-middle-income countries attending international congresses such as the World Congress of Neurology.
Educational grants further support:
- Educational projects
- Research activities
- Congress participation
- Development of neurology programmes
These initiatives are intended to encourage professional growth, scientific engagement, and long-term development of neurology within underserved regions.
Global Educational Initiatives and Continuing Medical Education
The WFN has increasingly expanded its educational activities beyond individual fellowships toward broader continuing medical education initiatives accessible to larger audiences.
One important initiative is the WFN Educational Days programme, which initially focused on Africa before expanding to Asia. These one-day virtual educational events address clinically relevant neurological topics including stroke, epilepsy, autoimmune neurology, movement disorders, headache, and peripheral neuropathies.
Educational Days are delivered collaboratively by WFN faculty, subspecialty experts, and regional neurological associations such as the African Academy of Neurology (AFAN). Participation is free and globally accessible.
The WFN has also collaborated with the American Academy of Neurology through the Continuum educational programme, which provides high-quality continuing medical education materials in clinical neurology. The WFN facilitates access to these educational resources within low- and low-middle-income countries.
More recently, the WFN established the Digital Neurology Update (WNU) platform, which delivers virtual educational updates through online lectures and associated open-access publications within the journal eNeurological Sciences.
The federation also participates in educational collaboration with the European Academy of Neurology Regional Teaching Course programme, supporting regional educational events across Africa and other underserved regions.
Advocacy and Leadership Development
The WFN increasingly recognises advocacy and leadership as essential components of neurological workforce development.
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology, the WFN established the Global Advocacy and Leadership Program (GALP), designed specifically for young neurologists from low- and low-middle-income countries.
GALP combines:
- Leadership education
- Advocacy training
- Mentorship
- Virtual learning sessions
- International networking opportunities
The first GALP programme was conducted in 2025 and included live educational events during the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting and the World Congress of Neurology in Seoul.
The programme focuses on developing “soft skills” essential for healthcare leadership, including:
- Advocacy
- Communication
- Policy engagement
- Organisational leadership
- Neurological health promotion
Although the programme was considered successful, the authors acknowledge challenges regarding financing, long-term sustainability, participant engagement during virtual sessions, and evaluation of measurable outcomes.
Challenges and Future Directions
Despite substantial progress, several important challenges continue to affect neurology education initiatives across Africa.
Financial limitations remain the most important constraint affecting expansion of educational programmes. Currently, only a limited number of external organisations directly support WFN educational activities financially, including the British Neurological Association and proceeds from the International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases.
Brain drain remains another major concern. Many healthcare professionals trained within Africa subsequently migrate to higher-income countries seeking improved working conditions and career opportunities. The WFN therefore emphasises regional training and local capacity development to strengthen sustainable neurological services within African countries.
The authors also highlight growing difficulties related to international travel and visa procedures, which increasingly complicate educational exchange programmes.
Future development may involve greater collaboration with European UEMS countries, expansion of regional educational partnerships, broader subspecialty training opportunities, and increased use of digital educational platforms capable of reaching larger audiences at lower cost.
The development of broader accreditation structures for continuing medical education in Africa may also represent an important future priority, potentially drawing on frameworks such as the UEMS European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.
Conclusion
The World Federation of Neurology has developed a broad range of educational initiatives aimed at strengthening neurology training and neurological workforce capacity across Africa.
Through Training Centres, department visits, fellowships, virtual educational programmes, continuing medical education initiatives, and leadership development projects, the WFN has contributed significantly to the advancement of neurology education in underserved regions.
Although important challenges remain, including limited financial resources, workforce shortages, linguistic diversity, and brain drain, these programmes demonstrate the potential of coordinated international educational collaboration to strengthen neurological care globally.
Continued expansion of sustainable regional training structures, digital education, international partnerships, and advocacy initiatives will be essential to support the future development of neurology and brain health across Africa.
Open Access & Copyright
© 2026 The Authors. Published by the European Medical Specialist Review (EMSR) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
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