News

Human capacity development is an essential component to improving Health Supply Chains; yet, many countries have no institutionalised methods to train their workforces. In Ethiopia, for example, most supply chain professionals have historically had to leave the country to attend training events.

Pamela Steele Associates (PSA), supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are delighted to announce the extension of their collaboration with the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency (EPSA) to open a Training Resource Centre (TRC) which offers supply chain professionals the opportunity to develop from within Ethiopia.

PSA has led the Admas Programme at EPSA since 2018, aiming to strengthen and transform EPSA’s health workforce. The new TRC is an essential step in the process of empowering the EPSA workforce to deliver quality-assured, safe, effective and affordable health commodities throughout Ethiopia.

Programmes to improve staff capacity – at the individual and organisational level – are continually developed, implemented and assessed for effectiveness. In addition, the TRC operates in close proximity to EPSA, centralising research and consultancy services for Health Supply Chains in Ethiopia.

The TRC is valuable for EPSA and for Ethiopia more generally. Anticipated benefits resulting from the TRC include:

• Increasing the number of Supply Chain experts in-country
• Offering continual professional development for Supply Chain professionals
• Creating a central site for Pharmaceutical Supply Chain research, training and consultancy services

The goal of the TRC is to become a self-sustaining, well-equipped centre of excellence in Health Supply Chain training, research and consultancy. The TRC will offer three services:

• Training programmes, which focus on pharmaceutical Supply Chains, humanitarian logistics, and executive training for Health Supply Chain employees. In addition, the TRC will include Training of Trainers programmes to develop experts’ skills throughout Ethiopia. Thus far, the TRC has completed two rounds of Human Resources for Supply Chain Management Training as well as a Certified Supply Chain Personnel training for EPSA leadership and directorates.
• Research programmes, which develop needs-based training for EPSA and other employees. Research activities also support EPSA’s knowledge generation, adaptation and model development in various areas of Health Supply Chain Management.
• Consultancy services, which ensure best practices in Health Supply Chain Management to improve Supply Chain productivity and operational efficiency.

The TRC’s services are advantageously offered both in-person and online. In addition to carrying out these crucial functions, the TRC features a resource centre, which provides basic infrastructure for trainees, trainers and staff, including facilities and technology.

Of the TRC inauguration, Admasu Teketel, Technical Advisor for the TRC and Professional Development, said, ‘The TRC will help Supply Chain staff become the best at what they do by fostering development and continuous improvement based on evidence-based analysis. This will help build a Supply Chain that operates with compassion throughout Ethiopia’.

A dedicated workforce will manage the TRC and initiate research and consultancy activities. In its next phases, the TRC will expand its e-library and scale up from the temporary TRC to a new building.

Trainees at the TRC launch