Review Protocol: A Scoping Review of Natural Language Processing Technologies for Public Health in Africa

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the field of research for a range of computational techniques that enable computers to process human languages, thereby facilitating a variety of tasks such as text analysis and language generation. Recent advancements in NLP have shown great potential in transforming public health delivery by enhancing accessibility, personalisation, and timeliness for both the public and healthcare providers. However, the application of these technologies in African communities is often confined by the limitation of digital resources, such as the scarcity of large-scale, domain-specific datasets, particularly in healthcare. This scoping review aims to systematically explore the landscape of NLP technologies for public health in Africa, identifying the available technologies, factors influencing their availability, and the gaps that need addressing. This review protocol is guided by the PRISMA-P statement. The search strategy will be executed on MEDLINE via PubMed, ACL Anthology, Scopus, IEEE Xplor, and ACM digital library, spanning from 2013 to 2024, and grey literature. The results and analysis will help to illustrate the current state of NLP applications in African public health settings and identify critical areas where investment and development are needed.