Supporting, Mobilizing, and Accelerating Research for Tuberculosis Elimination (SMART4TB) Nigeria Quarterly Report

The project aims to invest up to $200 million to achieve a decline in TB incidence and mortality and to help prepare priority countries for managing the disease. In Nigeria, SMART4TB is implementing the ADAPT study to evaluate the usability and performance of non-sputum-based point-of-care (POC) TB diagnostic tests among adults. The study has identified study sites in Nigeria after receiving Mission Concurrence. Additionally, the ESI Program is designed as an Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Training and Mentorship Program with the long-term objective of supporting local and country leadership of SMART4TB scientific research, protocols, and outputs. The ADAPT-Adults study comprises four key sub-activities that will collaborate with the SMART4TB Consortium and the Nigeria Country Mission to ensure the standardized implementation of the study protocol at Zankli Research Center (Bingham University) in Nigeria. The sub-activities include protocol adaptation/approvals, site preparation, participant enrollment, and study data quality and assurance activities. Key achievements and deliverables submitted in May 2023 include the determination of KNCV as the primary facilitating partner responsible for site management, finalization of site budgets in consultation with the USAID Nigeria Country Mission and national TB program (NTP), and official endorsement for the ADAPT-Adults protocol. The SMART4TB Consortium has been actively engaging in continuous dialogue and successfully meeting the deliverables outlined in the workplan for the first year. Ongoing discussion with the Nigeria Country Mission and USAID Washington remains in progress to identify additional counties/sites for the implementation of the ADAPT-Adults study. The project has planned to implement the following research studies with the Nigeria mission and in-country local partners to identify effective person-centered methods for finding, treating, and preventing TB; strengthen local capacity to conduct high-quality research; and engage communities to build demand for new interventions, drive policy change, and improve implementation of new and existing interventions to reach the End TB targets. The SMART4TB project has a strong focus on collaboration and coordination with various stakeholders, including the Nigeria Country Mission, USAID Washington DC Team, and in-country local partners. The project has developed a Year 1 workplan to implement the studies throughout the project, and the consortium has been actively engaging in continuous dialogue and successfully meeting the deliverables outlined in the workplan for the first year. The project's goal is to see a decline in TB incidence and mortality and to help prepare priority countries for managing the disease. The SMART4TB project has a robust monitoring and evaluation framework in place to track progress and ensure that the project is meeting its objectives. The project has developed a database and a Redcap database for the study, complete with data query functions, and study key performance indicators developed with the SMART4TB M&E specialist. The project's monitoring and evaluation framework will enable the project team to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and make adjustments as needed to ensure that the project is meeting its objectives. The SMART4TB project has a strong focus on capacity building and strengthening local capacity to conduct high-quality research. The ESI Program is designed as an Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Training and Mentorship Program with the long-term objective of supporting local and country leadership of SMART4TB scientific research, protocols, and outputs. The project has planned to implement the following research studies with the Nigeria mission and in-country local partners to identify effective person-centered methods for finding, treating, and preventing TB; strengthen local capacity to conduct high-quality research; and engage communities to build demand for new interventions, drive policy change, and improve implementation of new and existing interventions to reach the End TB targets.