Background: Health systems in Africa require an overhaul to align with the universal health coverage (UHC) mandate and a parallel review of public health training and development of the health workforce is warranted. One of the integral components that inform the relevance of public health education in the setting of UHC is the capacities of the academic institutions of public health. The aims of the study are to define the elements that comprise the public health education capacity within academic institutions and to develop an accreditation system for the African region. Methods: Study design: quantitative analytical cross-sectional design with a qualitative component. Study setting: ASPHA (Association of Schools of Public Health in Africa)-affiliated academic institutions of public health at Anglophone, Lusophone, Francophone countries in Africa. Study population: Heads/Deans of Departments/Schools of Public Health. Phase 1: A secure, electronic self-administered questionnaire measuring the institutional baseline characteristics (academics’ demographic, curriculum and institution characteristics) underwent five iterations, was piloted and translated into French and Portuguese. The survey launched in November 2022. Quantitative data analysis will be performed using STATA version 17; thematic analysis will be applied to the qualitative data using the ATLAS.ti software. Results: The preliminary Results will be presented at the conference. These results will form the basis of the elements of a Delphi panel in Phase 2 of the study. The planned outcome of Phase 2 is a self- and peer-assessment tool that can be tested (in Phase 3) as a first step towards accreditation. Conclusions: The study findings are envisaged to inform the development of an accreditation system for the association so that the academic institutions of public health can align their workforce training and development to the changing health and health system needs of Africa.