The East, Central and Southern Africa College of Physicians (ECSACOP) is an independent organisation comprising member colleges in Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. ECSACOP was established to significantly increase the number of physicians, and to standardise and improve postgraduate medical training in internal medicine, thereby improving access to healthcare in the region.
The Â鶹Çø has supported ECSACOP since its inception and continues to provide mentorship, technical and fundraising support, and access to a range of external expertise.
Are you interested in supporting ECSACOP?
- For offering financial support, please contact Sally Williams at sally.williams@rcp.ac.uk.
- Contact the Â鶹Çø Global team at global@rcp.ac.uk if you want to support ECSACOP in other ways to help realise its ambitions.
Medical excellence through accredited education
ECSACOP is rewriting the way in which postgraduate medical education is delivered and assessed in East, Central and Southern Africa. With a common curriculum and standardised training methodologies, the ECSACOP’s postgraduate medical qualification has been accepted as the gold standard throughout the region.
Goals
ECSACOP’s focus on equipping physicians with the requisite skills to become effective teachers and leaders – as much as effective clinicians – will radically improve the management of health systems in the region. Its goals are to:
- increase the number of doctors in training
- harmonise standards across the region
- positively impact 200 million lives.
Why ECSACOP matters
ECSACOP is more than a college – it’s a movement to build healthcare capacity and improve patient outcomes across East, Central and Southern Africa. With strong partnerships and innovative learning models, ECSACOP is shaping the future of medicine in the region.
Get involved
- : Join a growing network of physicians and educators.
- Support ECSACOP’s mission: Your donations help train the next generation of doctors. Contact Sally Williams at sally.williams@rcp.ac.uk.
- Partner with ECSACOP: Collaborate on training, research and capacity building. Contact the Â鶹Çø global team at global@rcp.ac.uk.
11th ECSACOP annual scientific conference and general meeting
On 17–19 September 2026, the 2026 ECSACOP annual general meeting and scientific conference will be hosted by the Zambia College of Physicians (ZACOPH) at the Ciela Resort in Lusaka, Zambia. The 11th annual conference since the college’s establishment in July 2016 will bring together healthcare experts from across the region to collaborate, innovate and exchange knowledge aimed at strengthening the clinical practice and health systems in Africa.
Conference theme
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Augmenting clinical excellence: Leveraging AI and digital innovation to strengthen evidence-based practice, training, and equitable care in Africa’.
In a region that is under increasing pressure from issues such as rising service demand, constrained specialist workforces, persistent inequities in access to healthcare and limited resources, it is vital to explore the roles digital innovations such as AI, data systems and clinical decision support tools could play in overcoming these challenges.
Join us at the conference
As in previous years, an Â鶹Çø delegation will be present at the conference and general meeting, comprising Dr Emma Vaux, Â鶹Çø global vice president, and Professor Dzifa Dey, global associate director for sub-Saharan Africa. They look forward to meeting you there.
Call for abstracts
If you have an interesting topic you would like to present at the conference, please submit an abstract by Friday 31 July.
Authors are invited to submit abstracts in, but not limited to, the following areas:
- AI in clinical decision-making and patient care
- Strengthening evidence-based medicine through AI
- Transforming physician training in the digital era
- Digital health systems and infrastructure
- Equity and access in AI-enabled healthcare
- Ethics, governance, and responsible AI.
10 years of ECSACOP: Training physicians, transforming healthcare
From six founding nations to a thriving regional network, ECSACOP’s first decade is a story of innovation, resilience and collaboration – transforming physician training and improving healthcare across East, Central, and Southern Africa.
ECSACOP was launched in 2015 as a regional college under the ECSA College of Health Sciences. Its founding countries – Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – came together with a shared mission: to strengthen internal medicine training and improve healthcare across the region.
Building foundations
In 2016, ECSACOP hosted its first annual scientific conference and AGM in Zimbabwe, setting the stage for collaboration and knowledge sharing. By 2017, Uganda welcomed the second conference, and ECSACOP began developing its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with support from WHO-AFRO, introducing innovative digital learning tools.
Training begins
The year 2018 marked a turning point: ECSACOP launched its first training programme with 14 pioneering trainees and three accredited sites. Faculty development was prioritised ensuring strong mentorship and academic standards.
Growth and resilience
By 2019, ECSACOP had expanded its training network and celebrated the achievements of its first-generation trainees in Uganda. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, ECSACOP adapted swiftly, moving conferences and training online to maintain momentum.
Milestones achieved
In 2022, ECSACOP held its inaugural graduation ceremony in Lilongwe, Malawi – an inspiring moment as the first cohort of resident doctors became fellows. The college continued to grow, reaching 128 trainees and 19 accredited sites by 2023.
Innovation and collaboration
The years 2024–25 brought new initiatives: the first BIA-ECSACOP physician exchange programme, the introduction of PACES-formatted clinical exams in Mombasa, and the addition of South Sudan as ECSACOP’s seventh member country. With multiple new training sites accredited and strong international partnerships with organisations such as the Â鶹Çø, ECSACOP’s role in advancing healthcare and education is stronger than ever.
ECSACOP documentary
Watch this ten minute documentary to learn more about ECSACOP:
The Â鶹Çø – ECSACOP partnership
The Â鶹Çø supports ECSACOP in their mission through technical expertise, governance support, and long‑standing experience in postgraduate medical education, delivered in a way that ensures the programme remains locally led and contextually relevant.
What we do together
Advising the college: Â鶹Çø has supported ECSACOP’s founding and ongoing governance, contributing strategic advice and participating as an observer in Council and partnership governance structures.
Developing a world‑class training programme: We’ve helped ECSACOP shape its curriculum, examinations and competency‑based training model, ensuring they reflect local priorities and international best practice.
Strengthening education and faculty: Â鶹Çø Fellows contribute teaching, clinical supervisor training, and academic input, helping ECSACOP deliver high‑quality, context‑relevant medical education across its constituent countries.
Mobilising sustainable funding: The Â鶹Çø supports fundraising efforts, stewarding donor contributions and ensuring transparent financial management through established grant processes.
Building ECSACOP’s organisational capability: We collaborate on core documents, communications and strategic planning, while sharing insights from the Â鶹Çø’s long experience in membership, fellowship and professional engagement.
Connecting ECSACOP with new partners: The Â鶹Çø introduces ECSACOP to global organisations, funders and medical bodies, helping grow the network that supports the college’s long‑term vision.
Our shared impact: Through this partnership, ECSACOP is establishing a regional gold‑standard physician training programme and empowering locally trained physicians to meet the evolving health needs of communities across East, Central and Southern Africa.
Useful resourcesÂ
- ±õ²ÔÌýthis Commentary article, ECSACOP president, Dr Chris Pasi, discusses the past 10 years and the future of the college.
- with ECSACOP’s former president and Â鶹Çø international adviser (IA) for Kenya, Professor James Jowi. He shares insights into his ECSACOP journey and his priorities for his presidential term.
- Explore more about . ESCACOP’s registrar Dr Tamara Phiri shares an insight into her journey into medicine and the challenges she has overcome.
- and IA for Zimbabwe, Professor Innocent Gangaidzo, as he explores the journey to delivering specialist physicians in Africa with ECSACOP.
- Commentary article - Increasing the number of doctors in Africa:
an update from the ECSACOP programme - April 2020 - Commentary article - COVID-19 in Zambia: a trainee’s perspective - June 2020
- Commentary article - Women in healthcare
a Malawi doctor’s experience - August 2022 - ECSACOP annual report 2024
Contact us
For more information on the Â鶹Çø’s international work, or to get in touch with an international adviser in your country, contact us at global@rcp.ac.uk.
Contact Â鶹Çø Global