Table 1.

Search strategies for primary studies

Databases	Search strategies
MEDLINE/PUBMED	(((((((((((((“Health Personnel”(Mesh)) OR (“District health management teams”)) OR (“Institutional Management Teams” (Mesh))) OR (“Public Health Administration” (Mesh))) OR (District Health manage*)) OR (“District medical officers”)) OR (“Nursing officers”)) OR (“Nursing directors”)) OR (“Nurse supervisors”)) OR (“Nurse Administrators” (Mesh))) OR (“District health administrators”))) AND (((((((“Capacity Building”(Mesh)) OR (“Capacity Development”)) OR (Capacity Strengthening)) OR (District Health Management Development)) OR (District Health Leadership Development)) OR (District Health System Strengthening)))) AND ((((“Sub Saharan Africa”) OR (“Africa South of the Sahara”(Mesh))) OR (Angola OR Benin OR Botswana OR “Burkina Faso” OR Burundi OR Cameroon OR “Cape Verde” OR “Central African Republic” OR Chad OR Comoros OR “Democratic Republic of Congo” OR Zaire OR “Republic of Congo” OR “Ivory Coast” OR Djibouti OR “Equatorial Guinea” OR Eritrea OR Ethiopia OR Gabon OR Gambia OR Ghana OR Guinea OR “Guinea-Bissau” OR Kenya OR Lesotho OR Liberia OR Libya OR Madagascar OR Malawi OR Mali OR Mauritania OR Mozambique OR Namibia OR Niger OR Nigeria OR Rwanda OR “Sao Tomé and Principe” OR Senegal OR Seychelles OR “Sierra Leone” OR Somali OR “South Africa” OR Sudan OR South Sudan OR Swaziland OR Tanzania OR Togo OR Uganda OR Zambia OR Zimbabwe))) Filters: Humans, English, French, from 1987/1/1–2021/04/06 and from 2021/04/07–2022/10/13
Wiley Online Library	Health District Systems) AND (Management OR Leadership) AND (Capacity Building OR Capacity Development OR Capacity Strengthening) AND (Sub Saharan Africa) Filters: MEDICAL SCIENCE, Journals, 1987–2021 and 2021–2022
Cochrane Library	District Health Systems in Title Abstract Keyword AND management in Title Abstract Keyword OR leadership in Title Abstract Keyword AND capacity building in Title Abstract Keyword AND “sub-Saharan Africa” in Title Abstract Keyword
Health Systems Evidence	Health District AND (Manage* OR Leader*) AND Capacity Building
Google Scholar	(Health District Systems) AND (Management OR Leadership) AND (Capacity Building OR Capacity Development OR Capacity Strengthening) AND (Sub-Saharan Africa)