Mid-term evaluation of the vetophar project in Niger : establishment of a central national veterinary pharmacy and a sales and extension network

Midterm evaluation covers the period through 11/80 and is based on site visits and interviews with project, A.I.D., Government of Niger (GON), and World Bank personnel and with local herders. Despite delays in construction and medicine delivery, by 5/80 a central veterinary pharmacy and two regional pharmacies had been constructed, staffed, and stocked; construction of a third regional pharmacy has begun. Staffing is satisfactory, but the financial recordkeeping system is inadequate and problems have arisen with the refrigerators, particularly at regional pharmacies. The most serious implementation problems have occurred below the level of the regional pharmacies -- neither distribution to small towns and markets nor an extension program to create demand for Vetophar's medicines has gotten underway. As a result, Vetophar's sales amount to only about CFA 2 million per month and targeted sales of CFA 200 million will not be achieved by project end. It is recommended that the project: (1) provide ongoing field staff training; (2) hire a short-term consultant to set up a financial management system; (3) hire an assistant to relieve the director of day-to-day administrative chores; (4) seek better coordination with the GON Livestock Service and donor-funded livestock projects (the two larger purchasers) in order to increase medicine distribution; (5) purchase larger refrigerators for the regional pharmacies and upgrade the central pharmacy refrigerator; (6) stock vaccines and drugs to fight livestock diseases (especially rinderpest, pleuropneumonia, pasteurellosis, and anthrax) and better mineral blocks and feed to counter nutritional deficiency; (7) better control insecticide use; (8) hire for 6 months a marketing consultant to conduct a market analysis, streamline procedures for sales to the Livestock Service and livestock projects, help set up a sub-regional commercial distribution system, and provide staff with short-term marketing training; and (9) establish its long-term commercial viability before constructing additional pharmacies.