Ethiopia has made significant progress in public health research over the past decade, particularly in disease control, maternal and child health, nutrition and gender equality. At the same time, growing volumes of health data have created new opportunities to improve planning, forecasting and policy development.

However, challenges remain.

Health information systems are often fragmented across programmes and institutions, making it difficult to integrate data and generate comprehensive insights for decision-making.

Analytical capacity varies across organisations and regions, limiting the ability to fully utilise available data and apply advanced analytical approaches.

National datasets do not consistently capture or report sex and age-disaggregated information, limiting understanding of health inequalities and the differing needs of women, men, girls and boys.

While analytical and modelling approaches have increasingly informed decision-making in areas such as malaria control, commodity forecasting and health workforce planning, much of this work remains dependent on external expertise and is often conducted through separate initiatives with limited coordination.

EDAM was established to address these challenges by strengthening national capacity, improving collaboration across institutions and promoting the routine use of data and evidence in health policy and programme decision-making.