The issue brief on gender integration was prepared as part of the summative evaluation of the Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA) initiative to improve maternal, newborn and child health outcomes by strengthening health systems, using primary health care as an entry point. IMCHA was launched in March 2014 by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and is scheduled to end in July 2021.