LMG/NMCP Cameroon Trip Report: Maurice N’Djore

The project is providing direct technical assistance to a minimum of six, and up to eight, target country NMCPs, including Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The project has seconded Senior Technical Advisors to the NMCP of each target country to ensure regular provision of technical support and ongoing coaching support to the NMCP. Workplans and activities for the target countries align with the three overall project objectives: National Malaria Control Program human, financial and material resources effectively managed; National Malaria Control Program develops and directs policy and norms for the implementation and surveillance of the national malaria control strategy; and National Malaria Control Program mobilizes stakeholders to participate in national malaria control coordination and implementation efforts. During the annual coordination and training meeting in Cotonou, Benin, Senior Technical Advisors from each of the five countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Liberia) received training on the facilitation, rollout, and support of country-specific Leadership Development Programs (LDP+), as well as on the use of the LeaderNet platform. The LDP+ is a performance improvement process that empowers teams to use a leading and managing for results model to create an inspiring shared vision, apply leading and managing practices to improve teamwork and effectiveness, use a Challenge Model process for identifying and achieving measurable results, and align stakeholders around a common challenge. The meeting also focused on the use of project evaluation tools, including the Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) and the Program for Organizational Growth, Resilience and Sustainability (PROGRES tool). The OCAT provides a good snapshot of the initial organizational capacity situation and allows the project to measure progress achieved through the implementation of priority actions. A modified version of the OCAT, revised based on experiences in Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon, will be available for use in Burundi. In addition, the meeting included training on the use of virtual tools, including Google Applications, LeaderNet, and OLLIE. All LMG/NMCP staff have been enrolled in LeaderNet, and will use the site to facilitate cross-country communication between LDP+ participants. Senior Technical Advisors also participated in a working session that focused on the structure of quarterly reports for submission to USAID and the elements of a Success Story. These documents contribute to data harmonization and documentation of achievements. The project has made significant progress in building the capacity of local NMCPs to effectively implement national malaria strategies. The Senior Technical Advisors have been integrated into their respective NMCPs, and the level of project implementation depends on the country and the amount of time the project has been active there. The project has also adapted the OCAT to take into account all the important aspects of the management at the central coordination unit, and a modified version of the OCAT will be available for use in Burundi.