Leadership development programmes for public health medical laboratory specialists in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

Abstract

Orientation: Although leadership development is fundamental to public health laboratory systems, structured leadership development opportunities for public health medical laboratory specialists in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain limited.
Research purpose: This study maps and synthesises existing Laboratory Leadership Development Programmes (LLDPs) in SSA, examining their structure, content, delivery models, and evaluation practices to generate evidence that informs context-appropriate, effective, and sustainable leadership policy and programme design.
Motivation for the study: Despite major investments in laboratory systems, leadership capacity remains a challenge. Limited evidence on LLDP design and evaluation in SSA constrains informed policy and practice.
Research approach/design and method: A scoping review following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was conducted. Searches of academic databases and grey literature (2008–2025) identified eligible studies, which were thematically analysed according to programme orientation, design, evaluation and implementation.
Main findings: Twenty-eight studies describing nine LLDPs were included. Most LLDPs focused on team and organisational leadership, with limited emphasis on personal leadership and public health systems integration. Competency-based training predominated, but leadership theories and locally grounded frameworks were rarely explicit. Evaluations focused on short-term learning, while donor dependence and weak alignment with national strategies limited sustainability.
Practical/managerial implications: National laboratory systems should institutionalise context-specific LLDPs and competency frameworks. Existing LLDPs should emphasise personal leadership and long-term evaluation to strengthen sustainable leadership capacity.
Contribution/value-add: This review provides the first comprehensive synthesis of LLDPs in SSA, informing laboratory leadership development, policy and programme design.