Abstract:Promoting access to the Cochrane Library and stimulating people, to use systematic reviews will contribute to the mission of the Cochrane Collaboration. In sub-Saharan Africa the uptake of the Cochrane Library is low and accounts for less than one per cent of the global distribution. We need to increase awareness about research synthesis and the work of the Cochrane Collaboration in this region. Intervention: We have been working on a pilot project to increase awareness in the West African sub-region, encouraging health personnel and consumer advocates to use the Cochrane Library and evidence-based health care. We targeted health personnel attending conferences, specialist doctors, postgraduate doctors undergoing residency training, senior personnel of research/tertiary health institutions, general clinical staff of district hospitals and officials of health-focused NGOs. Outcome: We organized hospital-based effectiveness seminars, boardroom advocacy meetings (N=4), prepared advocacy concept papers and scientific presentations at regional/ national conferences (N=3). We also gave over 10 demonstration sessions for small groups of 2-5 persons; several mini-seminars for NGOs, display and demonstration of the Cochrane Library at national/regional conferences (N=3). We gave out more than 40 demonstration copies of the Cochrane Library to individuals and hospital/University departments (courtesy of Update Software). The gross total of our conference audience lies between 450 and 600. We also worked on medical education, and facilitated the addition of Evidence-Based Medicine to the curriculum of an update course of the National Postgraduate Medical College. We found that visual displays using the Cochrane Library were useful in expressing concepts. This paper reports on how we presented information, and issues that participants raised in relation to changing practice, and the applicability of reviews to their own setting. With others in the region, we plan for a variety of activities to promote best practice, and these will be described.