Exploring the potential for joint supply planning in West Africa

Publication date: 2024

EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 1 Research Project Report MAY 2024 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA COMPASS INITIATIVE SERIES: REGIONALIZATION EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 1 Acknowledgements This publication was produced for issuance by the West African Health Organization (WAHO) and Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC). It was prepared by Chemonics International Inc. (Chemonics). Recommended citation: WAHO, RHSC, and Chemonics (2024). Exploring the potential for joint supply planning in West Africa. Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; Washington, D.C., USA. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 1 Table of contents ACRONYMS 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 INTRODUCTION 9 DESK REVIEW 9 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 10 Country Selection 10 Overall Research Project Design 11 Focus Group Discussion Design 12 FINDINGS 16 Overall Findings from Research Project 16 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 28 Conclusion 28 Recommendations 28 ANNEX 30 Annex A. Joint Supply Planning - Electronic Survey 30 Annex B. Complete Focus Group Attendance List 32 REFERENCES 40 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 2 Acronyms AMC average monthly consumption AUC African Union Commission AUDA-NEPAD African Union Development Agency- New Partnership for Africa's Development CARhs Coordinated Assistance for Reproductive Health Supplies CHAI Clinton Health Access Initiative COVID Coronavirus Disease CPG consensus planning group CSO civil society organization CSP coordinated supply planning ECA Economic Commission for Africa ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States eLMIS electronic logistics management information system ERPP ECOWAS Regional Pharmaceutical Plan EWS early warning system FGD focus group discussion FHI 360 Family Health International 360 FP family planning GHSC-PSM Global Health Supply Chain Program—Procurement and Supply Management GHSC-TA Francophone TO Global Health Supply Chain Technical Assistance Francophone Task Order GMM general membership meeting HSS health systems strengthening JSI John Snow, Inc. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 3 JSP joint supply planning KfW Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau LMIC low- and middle-income countries LMIS logistics management information system LTA Long-term agreement MOU memorandum of understanding MSI Marie Stopes International NGO non-governmental organization QAT Quantification Analytics Tool RH reproductive health RHSC Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition SDP service delivery point SSA sub-Saharan Africa TOR terms of reference UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS UNFPA United Nations Population Fund USAID United States Agency for International Development VAN Global FP Visibility and Analytics Network WAHO West African Health Organization WHO World Health Organization WMIS warehouse management information system WAHO West African Health Organization EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 4 Executive Summary 1 Cape Verde was excluded from the exercise because they have achieved financial autonomy for procuring and managing FP products. The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC), through the Compass Initiative, has been interested in documenting the viability of and processes for future joint supply planning (JSP) in West Africa for family planning (FP) supplies and, more specifically, for the ability of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries and the West African Health Organization (WAHO) to collaboratively review country supply plans for joint decision-making regarding FP supplies. RHSC commissioned Chemonics International Inc. (Chemonics) to lead a research project, in close partnership with RHSC and WAHO, to lay important groundwork to understand the potential for future implementation of JSP in the region. Chemonics has qualitatively assessed the landscape, engaged in consultative discussions with a broad range of stakeholders, and developed this actionable report to inform the RH community about the challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for activities to be prioritized to lead to JSP activity in the region. As a first step, Chemonics conducted a desk review to further inform and direct the research project; and to ensure no duplication of efforts. The desk review informed the learning questions and served to define supply planning, learn of the need for and benefits of a regional approach in West Africa, and understand how other regional efforts may provide insights on what to consider and consult for JSP. The desk review also served to identify what other supply planning initiatives are in process in the region or elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and how these efforts might be learned from or coordinated with in the future. Following the desk review, Chemonics, RHSC, and WAHO designed a research project to explore the potential for JSP in West Africa. The research methodology included conducting a total of 22 focus group discussions (FGD): twenty in 14 ECOWAS countries (all countries with the exception of Cape Verde1), one at the 2023 RHSC General Membership Meeting (GMM) in October 2023, and one with regional entity representatives in February 2024 online. The goal of these FDGs was to assess ECOWAS countries’ interest in JSP and the framework that would be necessary for effective and efficient implementation. The FGDs consisted of representatives from the following organizations/stakeholder groups: { central government directorates or specialized programs, { in-country implementing partners that support government efforts to manage FP supply chains, { in-country donors that offer in-kind donations for FP supplies, { and the Comité régional pour la visibilité des données logistiques de la santé de la reproduction en Afrique de l’ouest (Regional Committee for the Visibility of Reproductive Health Logistics Data in West Africa). The JSP research project consisted of three phases (reference Table 1 below), and was led by Chemonics’ Joint Supply Planning Consultant in close collaboration with USAID Global Health Supply Chain - Technical Assistance Francophone Task Order (GHSC-TA Francophone TO) staff, USAID Global Health Supply Chain EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 5 Program—Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) staff, USAID Senegal Building a Resilient Health System activity (all herein referred to as in-country Chemonics project staff), and Chemonics engaged local consultants. The three phases were implemented in each ECOWAS country to collect information. Figure 1. Three-Phased Approach for each Participating Country A qualitative data analysis of the information collected from 22 FGDs conducted in 14 countries as well as with a cross-section of regional and global players revealed recurring themes. Below is a summary of these themes. Chemonics’ Joint Supply Planning consultant conducted informational call with the leadership of central government directorate or specialized program. PHASE 1 Electronic survey disseminated to gather descriptive information on the national supply planning processes and demographic data in-country prior to in-person FGDs. PHASE 2 Conducted FGDs focused on in-country stakeholders, as well as a cross-section of regional and global players PHASE 3 National supply planning capacity exists and is essential for JSP The capacity to produce national consolidated supply plans on an ongoing basis in participating ECOWAS countries exists. This capacity may include human resources, relevant technology, processes, systems, and enabling environments. While challenges persist in effectively conducting supply planning activities, FP programs remain committed and able to ensure the coordination and leadership of the process. Strong supply planning capacity and the national supply plans produced through this capacity provide the foundation for effective JSP. TH EM E #1 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 6 Funding gaps can undermine national supply planning, but JSP can provide a platform to collaborate and advocate to mobilize resources Insufficient supply of FP commodities is a real issue. As all participating countries pointed out during the discussions, financial resources are difficult to mobilize and justify, and it becomes increasingly challenging as the price of contraceptives rises, leading to restricted access for women. Weak coordination of financing, including non-operationalization of the common baskets and financial gaps, were reported as hampering supply planning in some participating countries. JSP has the potential to offer countries another mechanism for advocacy efforts and strategies to communicate effectively. It can also provide a platform for participating countries to convene and analyze supply plans and funding needs, map potential sources and mechanisms for generating funding, and collaborate on advocacy or action plans to mobilize resources to finance FP supply gaps. Eventually, JSP could help countries benefit from preferential pricing from economies of scale since aggregating demand across country supply plans could lead to more effective sourcing and procurement. TH EM E #3 While data visibility and availability impact the quality of both national and JSP, the act of sharing and reviewing whatever data is available is key to increase data quality over time Participating countries presented with varying levels of supply planning data quality and availability. Most countries noted that data availability and quality challenges include inadequate data recording practices in health facilities, poor analysis of data collected in facilities, insufficient access to data from the private health sector, and using distribution data instead of consumption data. Despite these challenges, some countries are progressing with their electronic logistics management information systems (eLMIS) to improve data quality. JSP should capitalize on the progress countries have made with the development of eLMIS to improve data quality, as one of the advantages of working with countries with functional eLMIS is that they already have systems in place that centralize and facilitate the smooth flow of information. Conversely, JSP can provide a unique opportunity to strengthen data quality by enabling participating countries to gain broader visibility of supply planning data in the region, which will help identify issues such as inconsistencies, inaccuracies, redundancies, and data gaps. TH EM E #4 National supply planning challenges persist and JSP may offer a new way to strengthen supply planning Challenges persist despite a high level of national supply planning capabilities in many participating countries. These challenges, such as a lack of harmonized supply planning procedures and poor compliance with supply planning commitments, often lead to frequent stock imbalances. JSP may motivate participating countries toward constructive action on their supply plans and aid in overcoming these obstacles. However, it is crucial to emphasize that adaptation is not just a suggestion, but a necessity. The unique national context of each country should be carefully considered, as what functions well in one country may not function well in another. This approach respects and values the unique circumstances of each country, fostering a sense of partnership and collaboration, and may bolster supply chain management. TH EM E #2 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 7 JSP requires a secure and defined approach to data-sharing and ECOWAS countries already use data-sharing platforms that can be leveraged Data sharing could lead to more efficient use of capital, encourage innovation and better decision- making, and support the redistribution of supplies to avoid shortages, overstock situations, and product expiries. FGD participants stated that the Global Family Planning Visibility and Analytics Network (VAN) may be an effective tool to use to support JSP. Most countries reported being users of the VAN to help them to plan more successfully, track shipments, and find practical solutions to supply problems. Countries’ future use of the VAN to support JSP could involve the collaborative sharing of supply planning data across partners in an agreed manner on a single, secure platform. TH EM E #6 JSP must become part of a monitoring feedback loop with national supply planning processes In supply planning, gathering stakeholder feedback can lead to understanding best inventory management practices, improving timely funds disbursement from different funding sources, and improving coordination on procurement lead times and supplier delivery schedules. For JSP, becoming part of monitoring and feedback mechanisms within national supply planning processes will be crucial to its success. the VAN platform stands out as a potential enabler of future monitoring feedback loops, linking the JSP process to national procurement planning processes because it has functionalities for multi-stakeholder reviews and feedback that should be leveraged. TH EM E #7 Growing interest in a West Africa regional approach to contraceptive security coupled with a focus on national supply planning capacity make it an opportune moment to consider JSP Since 2005, there has been a growing interest in a West Africa regional approach to contraceptive security. Building on this momentum and recognizing that contraceptive security was important for the West Africa region, in 2020, WAHO established the Regional Committee to facilitate the engagement of the region’s countries and their partners in the VAN and to ensure that these countries’ needs are being considered by supply chain actors regionally and globally. Given the popularity and technical expertise of the Regional Committee, all participants expressed interest in WAHO playing a leading role in a future JSP activity. The opportunity therefore exists for JSP to become a reality in the region through the Regional Committee. There are few concerns on language barrier and internet concerns, but because the Regional Committee is still in its infancy, now is the opportune time for the countries participating in JSP to redefine or expand the committee’s Terms of Reference to support JSP in the way they want. TH EM E #5 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 8 JSP success depends on strong human resource capacity across participating countries JSP’s success depends on strong human resource capacity across participating countries. Before implementing JSP, there is a need to assess personnel availability in participating countries to ensure that existing technical experts can be utilized for JSP responsibilities. Training staff beyond the FP program on a recurring basis will help to ensure that they have the required supply planning skills and knowledge to be successful. This type of professional development investment could foster staff retention. TH EM E #8 From the point of view of FGD participants across the countries, JSP for contraceptives is worth pursuing. It can support aggregation of demand across country supply plans to create economies of scale and promote preferential pricing – a new benefit perceived by many countries – as well as stock transfers within ECOWAS countries when necessary, thus helping to avoid stockouts and undersupply situations, as well as expiries and overstock situations. Sharing supply plan data across countries can also lead to the exchanging of best practices between governments and the strengthening of commodity security within the ECOWAS region. Country representatives suggested creating a customized VAN analytics dashboard to serve as the vehicle for sharing and reviewing national supply plans. They propose an in-person, annual meeting that might be convened by WAHO. Stakeholders also stated that this initiative must be integrated into existing supply chain management processes and that there is no need to recruit new staff for the initiative. Formalizing a data-sharing policy and ensuring data security for the participating countries are deemed necessary. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 9 Introduction 2 Note. This exercise will focus solely on family planning (FP) commodities. 3 Note. JSP should be contrasted with supply planning, which is the action of managing and planning the inventory supply to meet customer demand. It involves determining how to best fulfill the requirements created from the demand plan to balance supply and demand in the way it archives financial and service objectives within the organization. Supply planning is the entire process of planning distributions, manufacturing, and procurement opera- tions that will be needed according to the demand forecast. JSP is a collaborative approach involving multiple entities, often across different organizations or geographic regions, to synchronize and optimize the flow of goods, services, or resources along the supply chain. This research project within RHSC’s Compass Initiative aims to gain in-depth knowledge of the interests and framework necessary for JSP for FP commodities2 in the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS) region. For this research project, we define JSP as the activity in which the WAHO engages and convenes ECOWAS country representatives regularly to share and jointly review country FP supply plans for regional decision-making 3. Through this research project, the political will of countries to share and jointly review FP commodity supply plans will be assessed to help us understand the political context and factors that need to be considered to implement JSP in the future. This research project also examines potential challenges and opportunities for future JSP across ECOWAS countries under the leadership and coordination of WAHO with potential technical support from regional stakeholders. The results of this research project will serve as a basis for developing recommendations. Results will also be used to create a communications plan for participating countries. This report presents the JSP desk review, research methodology, findings, and recommendations. Desk Review Chemonics began this research project by conducting a desk review and examining literature related to supply planning in SSA. The desk review served to: { define supply planning, inform the learning questions for FGDs, and direct the activity; { ensure efforts were not duplicated; { learn of the need for and benefits of a regional approach in West Africa; { gain insight and understanding from other regional efforts to inform strategies, approaches and decision making for potential JSP in West Africa; and { identify any other supply planning initiatives in process in the region or elsewhere in SSA, the lessons learned and how JSP in West Africa could capitalize on coordination and other efforts made to date. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 10 Research Methodology Country Selection Following the desk review, Chemonics sought to conduct FGDs and interviews in 14 of the 15 ECOWAS countries. Cape Verde was excluded from the exercise because they have achieved financial autonomy for procuring and managing FP products. These countries included: Sénégal Gambia Guinea Bissau Guineé Sierra Leone Liberia Nigeria Benin Togo Ghana Côte d’Ivoire Niger Burkina Faso Mali French English Lusophone EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 11 Overall Research Project Design The JSP research project was designed to occur in three phases: The Joint Supply Planning Consultant conducted informational calls with the leadership of central government directorates or specialized programs from all 14 selected ECOWAS countries. The purpose of this call was to inform country leadership (e.g., the Director of the FP program) of this research project and to facilitate future group discussions with ministry representatives and implementing partners. If requested by the government leadership, the Joint Supply Planning Consultant worked with WAHO to provide an official letter supporting the research project to the Health Director General or Health Minister. Countries that requested an official letter from WAHO (herein referred to as “WAHO official letter”) included Bénin, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Nigeria, Sénégal, and Togo. The informational calls and the WAHO official letter were conducted or drafted in English, French, or Portuguese, depending on the country’s national language. The Joint Supply Planning Consultant distributed an electronic survey to FP program representatives from 14 ECOWAS countries. The objective of the electronic survey was to gather descriptive information on the supply planning processes and demographic data before in-person FGDs. The data provided contextual supply planning information from the country to better inform future recommendations or implementation practices. The electronic survey was completed independently by 14 ECOWAS countries. The Joint Supply Planning Consultant, in-country Chemonics project staff, and local Chemonics consultants conducted in-person FGDs in 14 ECOWAS countries. In countries where Chemonics has project offices, a staff member was identified to lead the FGD; in countries where Chemonics do not have project offices, the Joint Supply Planning Consultant or local Chemonics consultant conducted the FGD. As this was a consensus-building phase of the research project, collecting data with adequate supervision by trained facilitators was critical. The Joint Supply Planning Consultant thus conducted 90-minute training sessions for each facilitator to ensure they could capture accurate and comprehensive information on interests and the framework necessary for JSP. No more than two FGDs were conducted per country to allow for diversity of perspectives, where the total quantity of participants selected for the focus groups exceeded twelve. The maximum duration for a FGD was capped at 90 minutes. During the 2023 RHSC General Membership Meeting (GMM) in October 2023, Chemonics leveraged the presence of multiple ECOWAS country government leaders to conduct a multi-country, in-person FGD. ECOWAS countries attending that session at the 2023 RHSC GMM included Bénin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Togo. The FGDs’ purpose was to gain in-depth knowledge of the interests and framework necessary for JSP for FP commodities in the ECOWAS region. The discussions also served to gather deeper engagement, insight, and rich qualitative data on processes or practices that might be used in the future for JSP in the West Africa region. The first phase was an informational call. PHASE 1 The second phase was an electronic survey (see Annex A). PHASE 2 The third phase consisted of a set of FGDs. PHASE 3 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 12 Focus Group Discussion Design Number, Timing, Locations Twenty-two FGDs were conducted in person in 14 ECOWAS countries and during the 2023 RHSC General Membership Meeting (GMM), and virtually with regional entity representatives. Details for the FGDs are shared in table below: NO COUNTRY LANGUAGE FACILITATOR NUMBER OF FGDS DATE LOCATION 1 Bénin French GHSC-TA Francophone TO Staff 2 November 30, 2023; December 8, 2023 Cotonou, Benin 2 Burkina Faso French JSP Consultant 1 November 10, 2023 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 3 Côte d’Ivoire French JSP Consultant 1 November 7, 2023 Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire 4 Gambia English Local Consultant 1 January 5, 2024 Banjul, Gambia 5 Ghana English GHSC-PSM Staff 2 December 11, 2023 Accra, Ghana 6 Guineé Bissau Lusophone Local Consultant 1 January 24, 2024 Bissau, Guinea Bissau 7 Guinée French JSP Consultant 2 November 2, 2023; November 3, 2023 Conakry, Guinea 8 Liberia English Local Consultant 1 January 19, 2024 Monrovia, Liberia 9 Mali French JSP Consultant 2 November 13, 2023; November 14, 2023 Bamako, Mali 10 Niger French Local Consultant 1 January 16, 2024 Niamey, Niger 11 Nigeria English GHSC-PSM Staff 1 January 22, 2024 Abuja, Nigeria 12 Sénégal French Chemonics HSS Staff 1 April 3, 2024 Dakar, Senegal 13 Sierra Leone English Local Consultant 2 January 18, 2024 Freetown, Sierra Leone 14 Togo French GHSC-TA Francophone TO Staff 2 January 22, 2024 Lome, Togo 15 RHSC GMM English & French JSP Consultant 1 October 18, 2023 Accra, Ghana 16 Regional Committee French GHSC-TA Francophone TO Staff 1 February 29, 2024 Online EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 13 Participant Composition, Selection, Screening, and Appreciation The composition of participants selected for each FGD was homogenous; however, individual differences allowed for contrasting insights and opinions. The focus groups were homogenous because they were characterized as including: { A representative from central government directorates or specialized programs who are direct beneficiaries of FP commodities (e.g., National FP Program, National Central Medical Stores, National Supply Chain Program, and Ministry of Finance) { A representative from an in-country implementing partner that supports government efforts to manage FP commodity supply chains (ex., FP technical leads from CHAI, MSI, DKT, GHSC-PSM, GHSC-TA Francophone TO) { A representative from in-country donors that offer in-kind donations for RH commodities (e.g., USAID and UNFPA) and { A representative from the Comité régional pour la visibilité des données logistiques de la santé de la reproduction en Afrique de l’Ouest (Regional Committee for the Visibility of Reproductive Health Logistics Data in West Africa). This is a regional committee currently under WAHO leadership, whose members are active FP procurers in the West Africa region, and who use the VAN for data-based decision-making. For the FGDs, we recognized that the FP supply chain sector has actors intervening at two key levels: regional and national. Representatives from both supply chain levels participated in the research project. Also, separate FGDs were held (i.e., at the regional level with regional actors and at the national level with national actors). Participants at the regional level were selected considering the following criteria: { Willingness to participate in the activity { Tenure in their role or a similar role at the central level of at least one year A representative from each regional entity was selected. Representatives were selected based on purposive sampling by managers or focal points within those entities. Participants at the national level were selected considering the following criteria: { Willingness to participate in the activity { Tenure in their role or a similar role at the central level of at least two years A representative from each central directorate and the specialized program was selected. Representatives were selected based on purposive sampling by managers or focal points within those entities. We conducted FGDs with participants irrespective of their age and years of work experience. Our only screening criteria were that they actively participate in national FP supply planning activities. Appreciating the participants’ time during the FGDs, we provided lunch and reimbursed transportation costs. Please see Annex B for a complete FGD participants list. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 14 Key Focus Group Discussion Questions The FGD questions were adapted for the national and regional levels. The questions covered the following main topics: (1) current supply planning situation; (2) potential advantages and disadvantages of sharing and jointly reviewing data; (3) JSP opportunities; and (4) potential JSP processes. At the national level, nine questions were posed to participants, including: 1. Can you describe 3-5 key strengths and challenges your country faces in managing its FP supply plan? 2. How could sharing some data elements from your supply plan (e.g., average monthly consumption, stock on hand, etc.) and reviewing your supply plans with other countries in the region help overcome national challenges? 3. Are there formal or informal barriers to sharing and reviewing your country’s FP product supply plan with others at the regional level? { Probing question: If yes, what barriers do you anticipate to share and review your supply plan with others? { Probing question: If yes, are there challenges for sharing and reviewing your supply plan with a particular organization? { Probing question: Which supply chain actors would you like to share your supply plan with? Why? Are there any countries or partners you would want to share your supply plans with? 4. Can you describe current opportunities for how JSP could overcome these barriers? { Probing question: What would be the advantages or disadvantages of jointly reviewing and sharing your supply plans with other ECOWAS countries? { Probing question: What are your country’s primary interests in JSP with WAHO and other ECOWAS countries? 5. What methods of sharing your supply plans at the regional level could be used? { Probing question: via the VAN, via another online system, via email, etc. 6. What mechanism should be used to review the supply plans and encourage collaboration? { Probing question: Does the mechanism exist or not? Should the mechanism utilize the Regional Committee? What should the mechanism look like, and how should it work? Note: If they don’t mention the Regional Committee after you ask this question, you should bring it up and ask if that forum could be suitable. 7. What could be a desired monitoring and feedback mechanism to review the supply plans for collaborative decision-making? 8. By which means would you be most comfortable in JSP with others in the region, and at what periodicity (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually)? { Probing question: Who do you think should be responsible for sharing supply plans within your country with colleagues at the regional level? 9. Do you believe additional staff or specific mechanisms are necessary for the success of JSP, and if so, how do you envision this being done? EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 15 At the regional level, nine questions were posed to participants, including: 1. 1. Would you support JSP in the West Africa region? What would be the advantages or disadvantages of jointly reviewing and sharing your supply plans between ECOWAS countries? 2. Are there formal or informal barriers within the region for sharing a country’s FP product supply plan with others at the regional level? { If yes, what barriers do you anticipate for countries to share supply plans with others? { If yes, are there challenges for countries sharing a supply plan with a particular organization? 3. Can you describe current opportunities for how JSP could overcome these barriers? 4. What methods of sharing supply plans at the regional level could be used? { Probing question: via the VAN, via another online system, via email, etc. If they don’t mention the VAN, bring it up and ask if that platform could be suitable. 5. What mechanism should be used to review the supply plans and encourage collaborative decision-making? { Probing question: Does the mechanism exist or not? Should the mechanism utilize the Regional Committee? What should the mechanism look like, and how should it work? Note: If they don’t mention the Regional Committee after you ask this question, you should bring it up and ask if that forum could be suitable. 6. By which means would you be most comfortable conducting JSP with others in the region, and at what periodicity (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually)? Please justify your answer. 7. What data elements would be essential for an effective information-sharing mechanism for JSP? 8. Who will be responsible for sharing your supply plans with colleagues at the regional level? 9. Do you think additional staff is necessary to make the JSP function well at the country and regional levels? { If yes, under which supervision and mechanism (i.e., seconded staff to WAHO, a secretariat office). Facilitator Training The Joint Supply Planning Consultant conducted a 1-hour, one-on-one training for each in-country Chemonics project staff member, and local Chemonics consultant who would be a facilitator in English or French. The training included sharing guidance on FGD preparations and advice for leading group discussions (e.g., time management, documentation, encouraging open dialogue). The Joint Supply Planning Consultant also trained each facilitator on the key focus group questions, providing insight on collecting the information and when to ask probing questions. Personnel and Oversight The Joint Supply Planning Consultant was the technical lead for all twenty-two focus group discussions held in the 14 ECOWAS countries as well as with a cross-section of regional and global players. The GHSC-TA Francophone TO Technical Director provided guidance and oversight on the activity. The lead consultant trained ten staff –five Chemonics project staff in five project supported countries, and five local consultants in nine countries. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 16 Findings Overall Findings from Research Project The section compiles this research project’s findings from a variety of sources, including the desk review and the 22 FGDs outlined above. We provide salient takeaways and points for consideration, to support progress toward future JSP implementation in West Africa. THEME #1 National supply planning capacity exists and is essential for JSP. In many countries, including those in West Africa, multiple actors, such as national health programs, central medical stores, national supply chain programs, implementing partners, and donors, engage in national supply planning activities for contraceptives. Supply planning is an exercise in which participants balance future commodity demands with current availability. Throughout the supply planning process, actors analyze demand forecasts, compare them to existing inventory levels, and coordinate supply chain activities to meet demand (JSI, 2017). The diverse set of actors involved in developing and updating national supply plans equips countries with technical experts that aim to synchronize funding disbursements from multiple funding sources with procurement lead times and to harmonize supplier delivery schedules to ensure commodity availability (JSI, 2017). Quality national supply plans are crucial to the foundation for JSP. As such, it is important that countries maintain a solid base of technical capabilities for effective supply planning. Human resources, supply planning tools, stakeholder coordination and leadership are all elements that contribute to building a solid foundation of technical capabilities required for national supply planning. Thus, to determine whether JSP can be achievable, it is essential to understand the current technical capabilities of ECOWAS countries to develop national supply plans, as these are essential for enabling JSP’s implementation. FGD participants were asked about the technical capabilities of supply planning in their countries. These participants broadly spoke of the existence of consolidated supply plans and their countries’ technical capabilities to use tools, adapt to contextual needs, and produce these plans. The viability of JSP is therefore conceivable in the ECOWAS region. Below is a report on the FGD’s findings regarding countries’ national supply planning technical capabilities, which demonstrates that the required foundation exists for JSP to be a viable option. In FGDs country representatives commonly reported that national contraceptive supply plans integrated commodity needs across sectors, including the public sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), social marketing organizations (SMOs), and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). One participant EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 17 underlined, “[our] national supply plan includes commodities from all FP programs operating in the country”. This occurrence provides national or program-level data for all managed contraceptive products and offers a centralized mechanism for estimating FP product costs and requirements for a given period, as well as updating sources of information on drug prices and supplier rates. The existence of consolidated national supply plans is a strategic advantage for JSP, as it ensures that information is already centralized, thereby empowering strategic decision-making and processes at a regional level. The use of recognized supply planning tools such as the Quantification Analytics Tool® by a pool of strong technical experts was also reported as a key strength for many countries. One participant noted the “strong quantification skills within the technical team, contributing to effective supply planning.” While having a strong pool of experts to develop and update supply plans using accredited supply planning tools helped many countries minimize data quality issues, some still need help with the quality of their supply plans (as discussed under theme 2). That said, JSP can work with a dedicated team of supply planning experts from ECOWAS countries who have the transferable skills and experience of using recognized tools to make its implementation effective. All participants noted the national FP program’s coordination and leadership skills as key drivers of the supply plan development process. National supply plans are primarily developed by national technical committees comprising various FP supply chain stakeholders, including government bodies, implementing partners, private sector entities, CSOs, NGOs, and donors. The FP program leads the committee through the process, convening all stakeholders at least quarterly. This was alluded to during an FGD, in which one participant noted that “the [FP program] does a great job to encourage collaboration across public and private partners. They also play a major role to convene partners together, where they would not necessarily share data if they did not come together to review data”. This illustrates how the government is enabling an environment in which partners can regularly review supply plans to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that stock levels remain balanced. It also shows the government’s investment in and ownership of supply planning for contraceptives. These results build on existing evidence of national supply planning capabilities within participating countries, and are key determinants of the success of JSP. Participating countries have national supply plans – they exist. The FP programs are invested in strengthening consolidated contraceptive supply plans by working with a diverse set of stakeholders that have strong technical capabilities, by ensuring recognized tools are used to support the process, and by facilitating partner coordination for resource mobilization to ensure contraceptive security. While country experience has been focused at the national level, their supply planning capabilities provides the foundation for JSP’s implementation to be successful. Acknowledging that while challenges still exist, the fact that ECOWAS countries have the technical capacity to produce national supply plans and they exist, means that JSP can be a reality in the region. Further, JSP enables a higher-level review of national supply plans that can offer greater benefits over time for the region. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 18 THEME #2 National supply planning challenges persist and JSP may offer a new way to strengthen supply planning. In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), researchers agree that the most recognized challenges are access and supply failures (Mukasa et al., 2017). These include poor supply planning and quantification, weak healthcare infrastructure and insufficient national and international funding for contraceptives. However, supply planning problems are often the cause of stock-outs or bottlenecks at a national level (Mukasa et al., 2017). Even with a high level of national supply planning capabilities in many participating countries, FGD participants reported persistent challenges that impacted contraceptive availability. These challenges varied from a lack of harmonized procedures to problems of access to health commodities. Given the existence of challenges such as these, JSP can add value in a number of ways, including: fostering and facilitating learning from best practices, supporting more powerful advocacy for supplies financing, and enabling more effective procurement and supply management practices in the region. A review of countries’ supply planning challenges revealed the region’s diverse supply planning procedures and processes and the wide range of supply plan quality levels. The majority of FGD participants reported challenges related to harmonization and standardization which contributed to inadequate availability of FP supplies. One participant stated that, “there is a considerable lack of standard operating procedures within the FP program. As a result, we see poor leadership practices within the program and then poor FP commodity availability”. Another participant shared that “in the West Africa region in general, as we all know, we have a wide range of maturity on supply chain generally and supply planning specifically. Even the definition of a supply plan between one country and the next isn’t the same. They’re not calling the same thing a supply plan, they don’t have the same data points, they’re not using the same methodology.” JSP could bring a diverse set of key decision-makers together around a common conceptual framework, terminology, tools, and methods for assessing and addressing challenges, while helping countries to learn from others’ experiences and to reach higher performance levels. This could lead to the harmonization of supply planning processes, which could be very helpful to reduce bottlenecks in the order fulfilment process. Conversely, future efforts to harmonize supply planning processes could make JSP even more effective. Participants also viewed compliance with national supply plans as a challenge. Despite the FP program’s leadership and coordination efforts, partners often could not meet ordering and shipping deadlines. This resulted in the late arrival of FP products, creating persistent stockouts nationally. One participant indicated that “related to delivery lead times, shipments arrive nearly two years after an order was placed and planned, [and] the procedures are just really complex”. Another participant supported this view, noting that the “[un] timely delivery of orders coming into the country creates an interruption in the supply of supplies to the SDP [service delivery point]. There are often additional delays in picking and packing the supplies at the regional warehouses, which then creates delays in distribution—leading to stockouts at SDP versus central or provincial level”. Faced with the challenge of partners’ and donors’ decisions and timelines that may not align with national needs, most participants expressed a general sense of helplessness, stating that, ‘’partners often do not respect the information communicated in the supply plan. They don’t take time to review the plans and execute actions needed to ensure product availability in the country. We do organize a ‘restitution’ of supply EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 19 plans with partners, but not all partners are included, making it difficult to make everyone aware of the country’s needs”. JSP can provide a new space for countries to discuss practical ways of advocating for financing FP supplies. These discussions can incorporate brainstorming on how to advocate for the mobilization of additional resources, inform manufacturers’ production cycles and suppliers’ shipping schedules, and encourage global, regional, or national stakeholders to invest in effective and efficient supply chains to improve contraceptive security. The value of the JSP framework lies in the people that it can bring together - with a high level of national supply planning capacity in participating countries, combined with regional and global players, experts can explore new ways to address country needs. JSP may motivate participating countries toward constructive action on their supply plans and aid in overcoming obstacles. One participant stated, “collaborating with other countries that are even more experienced in supply planning nationwide […] will help you to forecast your demand nationwide if not a hundred per cent accurate but close to a hundred per cent accuracy level.” As JSP will be implemented with participating countries that share similar geographical, population, and other characteristics, countries will be able to learn more about the factors that drive them forward toward progress. However, it is important to understand that adaptation is essential, and that the national context should be considered since what functions well in one country may not function well in another. THEME #3 Funding gaps can undermine national supply planning, but JSP can provide a platform to collaborate and advocate to mobilize resources. Insufficient supply of FP commodities is a real issue. Most participating countries rely on donors and implementing partners to fill the country’s supply pipeline and provide financial contributions to purchase FP supplies. As all countries pointed out during the discussions, these resources are difficult to mobilize and justify, and it becomes increasingly challenging as the price of contraceptives rises. According to the UNFPA contraceptive price indicator for 2021, seven of the 21 products purchased were at least 5% or more expensive than in previous years (UNFPA, 2022). One participant also noted that “there are problems in releasing government funds, resulting in delays in the delivery of ordered products.” In addition, participants reported on the poor coordination of funding, including non-operationalization of the common baskets and financial gaps, hampering supply planning in some participating countries. These findings have a considerable impact on the availability and affordability of contraceptives, potentially leading to restricted access for beneficiaries (patients or clients). Implementation of JSP could potentially mitigate some of these issues. Despite this potential, the desk review carried out as part of this research project showed that there are no JSP mechanisms in the ECOWAS or other regions, nor are there JSP examples from other non-contraceptive health products to draw on for guidance on financial resource mobilization. A potential reason for this might be that the benefits of JSP are not fully recognized or documented. As one participant noted: ‘’Even though you’ve done your supply planning, this doesn’t mean you can meet the gap due to funding resource limitations”. Because financial resources are often EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 20 not available after signed partner commitments, governments are often “[unable] to make a decision on [the] commodity to be procured due to government reliance on partners funding”. Therefore, while the literature might be lacking to support this, JSP has the potential to offer countries another mechanism for advocacy efforts and to effectively communicate with bilateral and multilateral partners to ensure that funding gaps are filled. JSP can also provide a platform for participating countries to convene and analyze supply plans and funding needs, map potential sources and mechanisms for generating funding, and collaborate on advocacy or action plans to mobilize resources to finance FP supply gaps. As one participant noted, “If another country shares its supply plan, others will be able to see whether they’re under stock tensions or not. If they are under stock tensions and scheduled deliveries won’t arrive on time, actors can work together to find a way to address shortages and overstocking. In addition, this kind of exercise can help reduce costs by making pooled orders and will create a way for differential pricing - economies of scale.” Henry (2021) also confirmed that it might be possible to operate with less capital committed to unconsumed inventory sitting in warehouses, redistribute supplies to avoid shortages, overstocking, and product expiration, and use pooled procurement to benefit from lower costs by sharing data about the supply plan with neighboring countries. Another potential benefit of JSP when it comes to resources, is the ability to aggregate demand across country supply plans, which could lead to more effective sourcing and procurement due to greater economies of scale on purchases and special rates. Drawing on the positive experience of existing regional, multi-partner collaboration initiatives - which are similar, although not identical to JSP - might lend inspiration to future JSP implementation, thereby unleashing its full potential. In East Africa, KfW & EAC (2023) proposed a pooled procurement model whereby a regional steering committee was established to provide guidance and oversight for pooled procurement operations. A strategic objective of this model was for committee members to work collectively to mobilize and coordinate financial resources for the regional procurement of health commodities. Another example is the East African Community Pooled Procurement of Medicines and Health Commodities (KfW & EAC, 2023), which – similar to the JSP framework – is also based on a regional approach that aims to support countries to define strategies that contribute to fulfilling FP supply, and could help countries to work together to identify and consolidate regional gaps, and advocate with partners to resolve persistent financing issues, which could help to bridge budget shortfalls. Moreover, we can draw on the experience of other initiatives. In 2019, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), IGAD, WHO, UNAIDS, and other relevant United Nations agencies, launched an African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)-anchored Pharmaceutical Initiative (“Pharma Initiative”). The Pharma Initiative is a think-tank which, among other roles, draws on the experiences and lessons learned from other pooled procurement initiatives and applies them to their own initiative. This has allowed them to explore ways to create a fiscal space for African countries (UNECA, 2023). Although the objectives are not precisely identical, JSP’s collective and regional approach means that, over time, participating countries may be able to bridge funding gaps and leverage economies of scale through preferential pricing, helping some countries that often face challenges to finance FP supplies. The JSP research project suggests that participants place particular importance on funding shortages; consequently, any JSP mechanism that does not comprise advocacy strategies for mobilizing resources or, eventually, lowering the price of supplies risks not having enough appeal for key actors to put in place and implement such a mechanism. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 21 THEME #4 While data visibility and availability impact the quality of both national and JSP, the act of sharing and reviewing whatever data is available is key to increase data quality over time. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, research has shown how the global health supply chain community has been driven to strengthen strategies that improve the visibility of supply chain logistics data for better decision-making. Logistics data is an essential tool for improving global health supply chains in general, as it helps to strengthen the quality of related interventions; however, the extent to which an organization can gather, compile, store, monitor, visualize, and analyze its data —known as data visibility (Khan, 2023) — can vary considerably from country to country. Furthermore, without accurate, consistent, and relevant data, the ability to make well-informed decisions, particularly for supply planning, is jeopardized. Many LMICs have begun introducing electronic health information systems to improve data availability and quality, but most still need a system to collect and analyze data effectively (Abdul-Rahman et al., 2023). JSP can add value in this respect and, over time, offers a unique opportunity to strengthen data quality by enabling participating countries to gain a broader visibility of supply planning data in the region, which will help identify issues such as inconsistencies, inaccuracies, redundancies, and data gaps. Many challenges related to data availability and quality were mentioned by participants, including: inadequate data recording practices in health facilities, poor analysis of data collected in facilities, insufficient access to data from the private health sector, and the use of distribution data instead of consumption data. FGD participants were unanimous in their reports on the challenges of data availability and quality, noting that “data quality is a particular issue, as there are discrepancies between logistics data and service data” or that “the total number of condoms that came into [the country], regardless of programmatic areas, is around five to six million. [However], if you look at the LMIS and look at all the data, you will see that it is less than a million or two million, when [in reality], they may have distributed something like two to three million condoms in a year. So, these are some of the things we need to strengthen to ensure we have a unified reporting mechanism whereby anyone, anywhere in the world, could press a button and know what we have distributed” or that “given the frequency of supply planning, we cannot use recent consumption data. For example, if we organize a [national technical committee meeting] in November, we have to use data from Q2 or Q3”. Although the underlying problems of data availability and quality may be the result of inherent system inefficiencies or poor inventory management practices at the service level (Daff et al., 2014), JSP offers the opportunity for and benefits of collaboration between participating countries and partners to effectively address these challenges to strengthen data quality over time, as countries will be able to share tools or techniques to validate data effectively. Despite these challenges, we must acknowledge the progress made by countries with their electronic logistics management information systems (eLMIS) to improve data quality. Electronic solutions, such as eLMIS, for reporting and visualizing data or carrying out transactions (placing purchase orders) are becoming increasingly widespread in West African countries as governments strive to improve tracking and tracing of supplies as they move through the various levels of the supply chain. These systems have helped countries to periodically collect, analyze, and report consumption and distribution data at the SDP level to support supply planning. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 22 Moreover, HIP (2020) notes that governments that implement national eLMIS can better connect to electronic networks such as the Global Family Planning Visibility and Analytics Network (VAN), which builds a link between the country and global manufacturers or shippers. JSP should capitalize on this progress and the existence of eLMIS in the region. Only a few participating countries reported the presence of a functional eLMIS, but were sure to highlight their benefits. One participant recognized that their national eLMIS provided improved visibility of consumption data and allowed SDPs to perform order transactions. Another noted that “SDPs have an excellent LMIS report completion rate [of ] 83%.” And “although the data quality is not perfect, still having the visibility is useful”. With regard to JSP, one of the advantages of working with countries with functional eLMIS, is that these countries already have systems in place that centralize and facilitate the smooth flow of information on contraceptive consumption (and distribution) from central medical stores to users in local areas (Musaka et al., 2017). Data is therefore aggregated and harmonized in a single national system allowing leaders to make data-driven decisions. Even with varying levels of quality and availability, it is clear that participating countries have FP supply planning data available. Research suggests that data quality can be improved through the use of appropriate tools, supervision, and training. JSP offers a platform to not only share, evaluate, and systematize the review of supply plans amongst countries using any available data, but also to facilitate knowledge sharing, training, mentorship and learning. Given this, JSP can, over time, contribute to improving data quality and facilitate conversations on how to correctly evaluate, understand, and convey supply planning data. THEME #5 Growing interest in a West Africa regional approach to contraceptive security, coupled with a focus on national supply planning capacity, make it an opportune moment to consider JSP. Since 2005, there has been a growing interest in a West Africa regional approach to contraceptive security. In 2005, WAHO, UNFPA, USAID, KfW, World Bank, and other agencies recognized that countries within West Africa faced many common challenges to reproductive health commodity security and that a sub-regional reproductive health commodity security strategy could be an effective mechanism to address them (JSI, 2005). These stakeholders highlighted many advantages of a sub-regional approach to reproductive health commodity security, including that it would be an excellent advocacy vehicle at the sub-regional level, facilitating a space for countries to compare, inform, and influence public health policies (JSI, 2005). Stakeholders also noted that it would bring a diverse set of key decision-makers together around a common conceptual framework, terminology, tools, and methods for assessing and addressing challenges while helping countries learn from others’ experiences to encourage higher performance levels. In 2014, through their ECOWAS Regional Pharmaceutical Plan (ERPP), the WAHO favored a regional strategic approach to strengthening the capacity to produce essential medicines, supply of medicines, and operating regulatory environment (WAHO, 2014). Historically, such regional cooperation and collaboration have been deemed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 23 inconceivable due to the fragmented and diverse nature of the healthcare system in individual countries (Lee et al., 2019). Over time, however, the benefits of such cooperation and collaboration appear worthwhile and can help achieve significant cost savings, efficiency, and other benefits; otherwise, they will not materialize (Lee et al., 2019). In 2005, RHSC led a collective effort within the community to identify, mitigate, and correct FP supply shortages, stockouts, and overstocks. This effort was initially supported by the Coordinated Assistance for Reproductive Health Supplies (CARhs) group. Due in part to the growing number of last-minute supply requests handled by the CARhs group, the Coordinated Supply Planning (CSP) group was initiated in 2012 for resolving longer-term supply-demand imbalances through a coordinated effort. Building on the foundational work of the CARhs and CSP groups and the data platforms they were using, the VAN was launched in 2019 to offer a more robust virtual platform that captures data from multiple sources to improve supply chain visibility and bring the right players together at the right time to assess supply needs, prioritize them, and act when supply imbalances loom. As part of the VAN, RHSC established the VAN Consensus Planning Group (VAN CPG) to collaborate with global market actors to work together to more equitably allocate constrained products globally and to prevent and/or resolve significant supply-demand imbalances across countries. Building on this momentum and recognizing that contraceptive security was important for the West Africa region during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, WAHO established the Comité régional pour la visibilité des données logistiques de la santé de la reproduction en Afrique de l’Ouest (or Regional Committee for the Visibility of Reproductive Health Logistics Data in West Africa) (“Regional Committee”) (WAHO, 2020). This Regional Committee aims to facilitate the engagement of the region’s countries and their partners in the VAN and to ensure that these countries’ needs are being considered by supply chain actors regionally and globally. Recognizing that countries in West Africa have national supply planning capabilities and were producing national supply plans, the Regional Committee has provided a space for regional actors to do the following: access information related to logistics data submitted by countries in the region; support the continuing performance of the VAN; facilitate implementation of recommendations being made by the VAN CPG; access VAN data; and formulate recommendations that consider the specific needs of countries in the region (WAHO, 2020). Given the popularity and technical expertise of the Regional Committee, all participants expressed interest in WAHO playing a leading role in a future JSP activity, with support from global and regional entities such as RHSC, UNFPA and USAID. One respondent stated that “WAHO should be responsible at the regional level.” In addition, there is the existence of WAHO as a legal and functional framework that the countries could benefit from, as alluded to by one participant, “The existence of WAHO gives us the opportunity to institute a forum for JSP that can be used to facilitate the meetings.” Thus, WAHO’s Regional Committee could be an optimal platform for participating countries to convene for JSP in the future, and the countries welcome the idea. While most participants expressed their interest and motivation for JSP and to leverage the Regional Committee, other participants expressed some hesitation, which is important to acknowledge in order to ensure the required buy in to launch JSP. One participant expressed, “For us, a priori, as a regional institution, we only validate regional approaches. And for us, the JSP approach is the best we can have – it gives us the whole picture. But I don’t know what interest Country X has in seeing Country Y’s data and what interest Country Y has in seeing Country Z’s [data]. It’s important to know”. Most participants expressed another concern about using the Regional Committee, citing language and internet connectivity barriers. For example, reliable resources EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 24 such as internet service, laptops, and cell phones were often lacking. In addition, with English, French, and Portuguese being the official languages of the ECOWAS region, effective communication for future JSPs could be at risk. Making the most of internet and translation technologies and the fact that most nations will be collaborating online should help to lessen the difficulties caused by language barriers. Nonetheless, these are all important concerns that need to be addressed and conversations must be encouraged to ensure the necessary country buy in to launch JSP. The Regional Committee provides a good forum to host and facilitate these discussions and a taskforce within the committee could be launched to shape JSP in the region. Through a JSP regional approach, countries could ensure adequate availability of FP supplies, improved FP financing, and receipt of greater technical and supportive oversight. One participant stated that the implementation of a JSP regional approach may enhance the supply chains in some participating countries: ‘’I think, for me, it will help our country to improve quantification. I know there are also challenges with data, and we can learn from other countries how they managed to deal with those similar challenges and improve their quantification process”. As Sherrod (2023) noted, by promoting honest communication and information exchange, bonds between supply chain participants might be strengthened, trust and cooperation improved, and cooperation and other strategic initiatives facilitated. In summary, the opportunity exists for JSP to become a reality in the region through the Regional Committee. Because the Regional Committee is still in its infancy, now is the opportune time for the countries participating in JSP to redefine or expand the committee’s Terms of Reference to support JSP. In redefining the Regional Committee’s Terms of Reference, the framework for JSP can be integrated and also ensure that countries’ needs and recommendations are considered at the regional level. THEME #6 JSP requires a secure and defined approach to data-sharing and ECOWAS countries already use data-sharing platforms that can be leveraged. From a healthcare perspective, data sharing can generate more and better science, and enable more efficient use of resources (Kaewkungwal et al., 2020). Similarly, in health supply chains, data sharing could lead to more efficient use of capital, encourage innovation and better decision-making, and support the redistribution of supplies to avoid shortages, overstock situations, and product expiries. Research widely agrees on the value of data sharing in LMICs (Kaewkungwal et al., 2020; Alter & Vardigan, 2015). However, it warns of the potential cultural, ethical, financial, and technical challenges involved—from balancing data accessibility and privacy to ensuring access and protection of intellectual property (Kaewkungwal et al., 2020; Alter & Vardigan, 2015). With the implementation of JSP, participating countries will be invited to share national data for a joint review of their supply plans and in order to do so, they need to feel confident that their privacy and data are safeguarded. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 25 Therefore, before JSP can be launched, it is important to spend time on the development and establishment of clear guidelines, procedures, and even data-sharing agreements to ensure data security and protection to instill this confidence in participating countries. There is a strong case to support the creation of a JSP task force to establish these clear guidelines and procedures, among other JSP related framework policies and standards, as part of its terms of reference. During the FGDs, all participants were asked to report any formal or informal barriers to sharing and reviewing national FP supply plans with other countries. All participants saw no immediate obstacles to sharing supply plan data with other countries in the region in theory; however, in practice most participants expressed concerns about other countries’ reluctance to share data, the type of data to be shared (e.g., product financing), how a country’s data would be secured and protected, and how other countries would use their data. As one participant stated, “Depending on the protocols that are signed, this is where the challenges come in because some countries would not want to disclose some of the information to other countries [.], but some governments would allow it.” Moreover, it was stated that there is a need “to know what form this activity will take: will it just create a component in the VAN, or will each country have systematic access to the plans of the others? And what will be the active functions? Just to view the plans, modify them, etc.? It’s still interesting for us to know on what medium – I imagine it’s the VAN – and what these functions will be and who will be able to view them. This will be very important to define before we move forward”. While these concerns are legitimate, all participants stated that the VAN data-sharing platform could effectively support JSP, and has the benefit of existing data-sharing protections in place. This was supported by a participant, who argued that “We shouldn’t reinvent the wheel. The VAN already exists, and we should leverage the tool to support JSP”. The VAN platform captures and centralizes data from multiple sources to assess supply needs (RHSC, 2024). Before a user can access the VAN, a Terms of Use Agreement must be signed. This agreement includes an explanation of any restrictions and usage rights of a user role in relation to the user data to which the user role type has access (RHSC, 2022). So the VAN presents an existing framework, with some built in user protections, from which JSP could operate. Plus, all countries reported using the VAN already to better plan, track shipments and find practical solutions to supply problems. The proposed JSP task force would need to consider and outline how the VAN can be used securely to share and review supply plans between countries, addressing the trust and data protection concerns. As previously stated, JSP requires a secure and defined approach to data sharing that envisions collaborative sharing of supply planning data between partners on a single, secure platform based on clear policies and procedures. In turn, data sharing could improve the visibility of stock levels across countries in the region, informing inter-country stock transfers and improving the flow of information along the supply chain to better enable risk mitigation and response to supply disruptions. Participating countries already use the VAN, so JSP can and should capitalize on this existing data-sharing platform. As one participant summarized, “We already have all supply plans in the VAN; they’re already standardized, they’re already mapped, and we already have an integration to take them in. We already have ways of getting that data; we coordinate directly with ministries. To me, it wouldn’t make sense to do it on another platform”. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 26 THEME #7 JSP must become part of a monitoring feedback loop with national supply planning processes. A monitoring feedback mechanism is a valuable tool for improvement. It can help identify weaknesses, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement, and analysis of this feedback can also guide process adjustments (Wageningen University & Research, 2015; (Fallakha, 2024). Feedback can also help to continuously improve strategies, which can enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of the supply chain as a whole (Fallakha, 2024). In supply planning, gathering stakeholder feedback can lead to understanding best inventory management practices, improving timely funds disbursement from different funding sources, and improving coordination on procurement lead times and supplier delivery schedules. For JSP, becoming part of monitoring and feedback mechanisms within national supply planning processes will be crucial to its success. Many bilateral and multilateral partnerships exist, and stakeholders are actively working with countries to support supply planning processes through targeted technical guidance. As such, the VAN platform stands out as a potential enabler of future monitoring feedback loops, linking the JSP process to national procurement planning processes because it has functionalities for multi-stakeholder reviews and feedback that should be leveraged. Regarding the desired monitoring and feedback mechanisms, participants suggested periodic meetings in various formats, including biannual online meetings and annual in-person workshops, to review supply plans and discuss lessons learned from JSP. One participant noted that “We should not just organize a single annual meeting; this would mean that countries only meet once. The preference would be annual meetings at the regional level to meet and discuss, but quarterly at the national level to prepare for the meetings”. While biannual JSP meetings would provide high-level feedback on national supply planning processes and data, annual JSP meetings would encourage the exchange of ideas and allow participants more time to share views and network. To respect scheduling conflicts and reduce costs, participants suggested that these meetings be scheduled to coincide with other important meetings within the community. Furthermore, to avoid interrupting current national supply planning processes, all countries indicated that they would maintain defined schedules to review their own supply plans. In addition to organizing periodic monitoring and feedback meetings for JSP, participants also recommended developing a JSP newsletter or bulletin biannually at the WAHO level, which could serve as a potential communication tool in the future. Whatever the format, the VAN platform must be used to facilitate effective monitoring and feedback during JSP’s implementation. As we have seen, countries’ national supply plans are on the VAN and they are using the VAN. So this is an opportunity for JSP to build on those monitoring and feedback systems to strengthen the FP program leadership in supply planning, encourage routine monitoring of the country’s supply plans, and aid in developing of new strategies to address challenges in supply planning processes. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 27 THEME #8 JSP success depends on strong human resource capacity across participating countries. JSP’s success depends on strong human resource capacity across participating countries. As we noted in theme #1, among technical supply planning experts in participating countries, there are existing technical capabilities to use tools, adapt plans to contextual needs, and produce these national plans. FGD participants noted that, before implementing JSP, there is a need to assess personnel availability in participating countries to ensure that existing technical experts can be utilized for JSP responsibilities. Countries commented on the preference to support those already employed and capable of performing the job, rather than hiring new staff. This could, in turn, strengthen the capacity of the existing staff, especially in quantification. As one discussion participant stated, “instead of additional staff [we] can think of strengthening an existing unit that can carry out the work.” It was suggested that the focal person for the JSP process within a participating country could be a member of the national quantification committee responsible for monitoring the national supply plan. Some discussion participants also noted that two individuals should have primary responsibility for JSP: one individual with the technical supply chain responsibilities and a program director who has the authority to share the data, “We need two types of people. We need to identify someone who is truly involved in the field of supply planning for contraceptives and not necessarily the program. This person understands the technical side of supply planning and the data elements that are being shared. We also need a person with the authority to share this data with other countries.” The frequent staff turnovers in many countries did present some concerns amongst participants. They suggested training staff beyond the FP program on a recurring basis to ensure that they have the required supply planning skills and knowledge. This type of professional development investment could foster staff retention. High level coordination at the regional level was also noted as another human resourcing component critical for the success of JSP. At the regional level, WAHO has a focal point in the Secretary-General, who is also the Chairman of the Supply Chain Committee. Still, many participants recommended hiring or designating additional focal points at WAHO to ensure the high-level coordination required for JSP’s implementation. Finally, participants also voice the need to engage the VAN team that is responsible for reviewing supply plans at RHSC. It is generally recognized that these individuals comprehend the technical aspects of supply planning and the data items being shared. They can also provide insights or recommendations to help strengthen national supply planning processes. Further supporting this point, one participant noted “The VAN core team should be responsible. They know the data and know which country is in the VAN.” Since JSP has a regional dimension, it is important to engage a multilateral partner like WAHO to appoint a supply chain management professional at the regional level with the power to share the national supply plans without delay. This could facilitate the efficient exchange of country supply plans to accomplish the intended goals and make regional joint supply planning easier. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 28 Facilitate a higher-level review of national supply plans to enhance the current technical capacity in participating countries. This can offer more significant benefits over time for the region. Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusion Through the many FGDs conducted for this research project, participants have widely shared the view that JSP for contraceptives is of good interest. The initiative would generate many short-term and long-term benefits, such as enhancing data visibility and availability and enabling countries to learn from each other’s supply planning experiences. Over time, JSP may promote better sourcing and procurement practices, and it may lead to pooled procurement mechanisms. Ultimately, JSP would support and strengthen each participating country’s own supply planning and strengthen both regional and national commodity security. Participants suggested using the VAN platform as the primary data-sharing tool to support JSP in the region, and that the Regional Committee could convene participating countries to jointly review supply plans and discuss JSP lessons twice a year online and once a year in person. The JSP activity would be integrated into existing national supply planning processes; there would be no need to recruit specialist staff for the activity. Participants also recommended involving the ministries of health early in the process when starting to implement JSP, since formalizing a data-sharing policy and ensuring data security among the region’s countries was deemed necessary. Recommendations The recommendations listed below summarize the takeaways or findings from the FDGs, as well as added recommendations from our analysis and desk review. Motivate participating countries toward constructive action on their supply plans and aid in overcoming obstacles by facilitating learning from best practices and enabling more effective procurement and supply management practices in the region. Work closely with participating countries to offer alternative advocacy or action plans to mobilize resources to finance FP supplies and to effectively communicate with bilateral and multilateral partners to ensure that funding gaps are filled. 1 2 3 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 29 Provide technical guidance to participating countries to strengthen data quality by enabling broader regional supply planning data visibility. This will help identify inconsistencies, inaccuracies, redundancies, and data gaps. Leverage WAHO’s Regional Committee to serve as the forum for participating countries to convene for JSP and establish a task force within the committee to shape JSP in the region. Similarly, leverage the VAN to facilitate effective information sharing, analysis, monitoring, and feedback for JSP. This should include formalizing a regional data-sharing and protection policy to instill trust among ECOWAS countries. This will help clarify data sharing and use expectations among countries and their partners to strengthen trust in the process. Existing VAN data protection policies may be a foundation for this effort, especially as they already define security measures and can further clarify regional specifications. Establish periodic biannual online meetings and annual in-person workshops to review supply plans and discuss lessons learned from JSP. Build capacity of country focal point persons to ensure a common methodology for JSP reviews. WAHO and RHSC should assist all interested countries in progressing towards the VAN Premium member level, as this support will allow for countries to have access to more features. When implementing JSP, organizers should establish a regular schedule for sharing supply plan data among all the participating members. Following JSP implementation, organizers should conduct reflective feedback exercises on the JSP framework with participating countries to adapt to evolving group dynamics and optimize performance. 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 6 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 30 Annex Annex A. Joint Supply Planning - Electronic Survey In collaboration with WAHO and RHSC, we are exploring the interests and ideas of many actors among the family planning (FP) supply chain in West Africa. Our aim is to understand whether you might be interested in JSP in the future, to identify challenges and opportunities and your thoughts on possible solutions or mechanisms with which we can do this. We define JSP as the action where the West African Health Organization (WAHO) convenes ECOWAS countries on a regular basis to jointly review country supply plans for regional decision making. Through this survey, our aim is to gather contextual information about your country to complement the group discussion outputs. The survey data will help us contextualize the recommendations. We appreciate your time to take our survey, which will be followed up by an in-person or virtual interview/FGDs on interests and procedures for joint supply planning. This survey is confidential. The total time to complete this questionnaire is 15 minutes. We look forward to learning from you! 1. Supply Planning for FP products is an essential phase of the overall supply chain management. Supply planners create and execute a supply plan to optimize inventory levels, production schedules and supplier relationships with the overarching goal of aligning the supply of products with future demand. Please, tell us about your experience in developing the national FP product’s supply plan? Hint: What is process of developing this plan, the periodicity, the stakeholders involved in the process, etc. 2. FP commodity supply plans typically contain the following information: { The product identification data (i.e., a numerical identifier) { The unit of measure { The annual forecast { The existing stock on hand or physical inventory { The average monthly consumption (either issues or actual) { The outstanding/incoming orders { The estimated quantity to procure in the coming year (number of units) { The quantity in order (pipeline) { The delivery date or quarter on which the products are to be delivered Please check the box if your supply plan contains the information. If you did not check all boxes, can you describe the data content of your current FP product supply plan and why the data is not available? 3. Is there a committee or working group to coordinate FP commodity supply planning activities? Who are its members? Hint: Please list the names of stakeholder organizations involved. 4. Does the government and the Ministry of Health (MOH) play a leading role in coordinating stakeholders? So, what is the motivation of the government in this coordination role? EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 31 5. Have key stakeholders come together to develop a supply plan for FP products in 2023? If not, why? Is this plan known and supported by the government and all stakeholders or not? 6. Which type of national supply plan data is your country willing to share with other ECOWAS countries: TYPE OF DATA YES NO REMARKS (DESCRIBE IN THIS COLUMN ANY PERCEIVED BARRIER TO SHARING THE INFORMATION) Product identification data (i.e., a numerical identifier) Unit of measure Annual forecast Existing stock on hand or physical inventory Average monthly consumption (either issues or actual) Outstanding/incoming orders Estimated quantity to procure in the coming year (number of units) Quantity in order (pipeline) Delivery date or quarter on which the products are to be delivered If you select “No” as an answer, please explain why your country is not willing to share the specific information in the column “Remarks.” 7. What is working well in terms of supply planning in-country? Are there any pain points? If yes, please describe them EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 32 Annex B. Complete Focus Group Attendance List COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Benin Dr Thierry Lawale Participant Chef Service ANSSP 18-Oct Completed RHSC General Membership Meeting (GMM) Burkina Faso Dr Marcelle Sanon Zombre Participant Director DSF 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Ghana Dr Claudette Diogo Participant FP and logistic officer Family Health Division 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Liberia Dr Tehongue Bentoe Participant Director Family Health Division 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Nigeria Dr Anyanwu Lawrence Participant Director Family Health Division 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Togo Dr Abram Agossou Participant Director DSME 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Burkina Faso Dr Cletus Adohinzin Participant Program Coordinator WAHO 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Benin Alimatou Zohoun Participant Regional CTP GHSC-TA Francophone TO 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM USA Safia Ahsan Facilitator Senior Technical Officer RHSC/PATH 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM USA Julia White Facilitator Director RHSC/PATH 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Rwanda Dr Jovith Ndahinyuka Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Belgium Angela Elong Facilitator Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 18-Oct Completed RHSC GMM Benin Dr Edith Djenontin MOH Focal Point Chef Service ANSSP 30-Nov Completed Benin Dr Thierry Lawale Participant Director ANSSP 30-Nov Completed Benin Dr Jovith Ndahinyuka Chemonics Focal Point JSP Consultant Chemonics 30-Nov Completed Benin Virgile Dossou Facilitator FP Supply Chain Advisor GHSC-TA Francophone TO 30-Nov Completed Benin Ambroise Nahini Participant M&E Manager GHSC-TA Francophone TO 30-Nov Completed Benin Ghislaine Djidjoho Participant Country Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 30-Nov Completed Benin Zime Mora Augustine Participant CD Log SR ANSSP 08-Dec Completed Benin Djenontim K Edith Participant C/SR PF ANSSP 08-Dec Completed Benin BOTHON A. Romuald Participant C/SIMS ANSSP 08-Dec Completed Benin Danhin Abadji Participant CDQSAPS DNSP 08-Dec Completed Benin RADJI Suradjou Participant C/SES DPAF/MS 08-Dec Completed Benin Abodoulaye Yasmilatou Participant Representant ABPF ABPF 30-Nov Completed Benin Bodraima Saliou Participant Directeur Executif ABMS 30-Nov Completed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 33 COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Benin Aklan Cakpon Martin Participant Consultant CA PF UNFPA 30-Nov Completed Benin Eugene Montcho Participant Supply Chain Advisor USAID 30-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Dr Augustin Tangahire MOH Focal Point Pharmacien DSF 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Dr Marcelle Sanon Zombre Participant Director DSF 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Dr Jovith Ndahinyuka Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Dr Carine Estelle Yetta Participant Director MSHP 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Dr Rema Ramde Participant Conseiller technique CAMEG 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Hamdy Kouanda Participant Coordinateur de projet ABBEF 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Tiguida Sisoko Participant Directrice programmes MSI 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Simplice Seraphin Toe Participant Chef PROMACO 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Dr Djeneba Sanon- Ouedraogo Participant Charge programme PFSR UNFPA 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Partfait Nyuito Edah Participant Country Director GHSC-PSM 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Mathieu Bougma Participant Chargé de Programme PF DGSF 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Parfait Guibleweogo Participant Charge programme PFSR UNFPA 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Dr Moussa Dadjoari Participant TBD TBD 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Coumbo Diallo Participant TBD TBD 10-Nov Completed Burkina Faso Yacouba Konate Participant TBD DSF 10-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Dr Saran Sylla MOH Focal Point Charge Etude Logistique MSHP 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Dr Gnou Tanoh Participant Director DSF 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Dr Jovith Ndahinyuka Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Achie Apo Edwige Participant Pharmacien DAP 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Aliman Claudine Participant Responsible Logistique AIBEF 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Kone Fatel Participant Chef Service NPSP-CI 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Seraphin Alla Amidjo Participant Assistant suivi évaluation PNSSU-SAJ 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Koffi Alida Participant Pharmacien PNSME 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Hyacinthe Privat Tiendrebogo Participant Specialist Chaine Appro UNFPA 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Koudougou Jadium Participant Consultant UNFPA 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Andoh Hyacinthe Participant Director PNSME 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Ngandei Laurent Participant SAF PNSME-SAF 07-Nov Completed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 34 COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Cote d'Ivoire Sika Simplice Participant Suivi Evaluation PNSME 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Kouakou Dje Participant TBD NPSP-CI 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Alida Kouassi Participant TBD PNSME 07-Nov Completed Cote d'Ivoire Ehile Gilbert Participant TBD PNSME 07-Nov Completed Gambia Alieu Jammeh Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 05-Jan Completed Gambia Angela Elong Chemonics Focal Point Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 05-Jan Completed Gambia Alhagie Kolley Participant Programme Officer UNFPA 05-Jan Completed Gambia Momodou Njie Participant Programme Officer GFPA 05-Jan Completed Gambia Emily Jagne Participant Senior Pharmacist NPS 05-Jan Completed Gambia Bokarr Loum Participant Pharmacist NPS/CMS 05-Jan Completed Gambia Abdou K Jallow Participant N/A RMNCAH 05-Jan Completed Gambia Haddy Badjie Participant Economist MOH-DPI 05-Jan Completed Gambia Sait Malick Kebbeh Participant SCM Coordinator NPS/CMS 05-Jan Completed Gambia Sulayman Kinteh Participant SCM Specialist AAITG 05-Jan Completed Gambia TBD Participant N/A USAID 05-Jan Completed Ghana Claudette Diogo MOH Focal Point FP logistic officer Family Health Division 11-Dec Completed Ghana Philip Kwao Facilitator JSP Consultant GHSC-PSM 11-Dec Completed Ghana Dr Jovith Ndahinyuka Chemonics Focal Point JSP Consultant Chemonics 11-Dec Completed Ghana Emil Adzasu Participant N/A IPPF 11-Dec Completed Ghana Faustina Tetteh Participant N/A IPPF 11-Dec Completed Ghana Selase Adjei Participant N/A Total Family Health SMO 11-Dec Completed Ghana Sackitey Raphael Participant N/A Ghana AIDS Commission 11-Dec Completed Ghana Charlotte Mawunyega Participant N/A Marie Stopes International 11-Dec Completed Ghana Dela Gle Participant N/A UNFPA 11-Dec Completed Ghana Afua Aggrey Participant N/A USAID 11-Dec Completed Ghana Prince A Yeboah Participant N/A UNFPA 11-Dec Completed Ghana Frans Ofori-Turun Barinah Participant N/A MOH 11-Dec Completed Ghana Eva Sandow Participant N/A GHS/FHD 11-Dec Completed Ghana Dr Kofi Issah Participant Director GHS/FHD 11-Dec Completed Ghana Paulina Lutteodt Participant N/A GHS/FHD 11-Dec Completed Ghana Damaris Forson Participant N/A USAID 11-Dec Completed Ghana Abdul-Fatahi Adam Participant N/A GHSC-PSM 11-Dec Completed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 35 COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Guinea Dr Lancinet Keita Participant Charge Etude Logistique DNSFN 03-Nov Completed Guinea Dr Sire Camara MOH Focal Point Chef Division DNSFN 03-Nov Completed Guinea Dr Jovith Ndahinyuka Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 03-Nov Completed Guinea Abibot Jacqueline Participant Directrice S&E Jhpiego 03-Nov Completed Guinea Austin Suzanne Participant Conseillère technique Jhpiego 03-Nov Completed Guinea Adama Bakory Keita Participant DGA PCG SA 03-Nov Completed Guinea Bony Mamadou Participant Chef Service PCG SA 03-Nov Completed Guinea Kaba Djeney Fadima Participant Directrice Nationale DNSFN 03-Nov Completed Guinea Dr Nagnouma Sano Participant CS/SCP DNPM 03-Nov Completed Guinea- Bissau Dr. Mama Mané MOH Focal Point Deputy Director Direção de SR 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Dr Sadna Bita Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Angela Elong Chemonics Focal Point Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Benjamin Saev Participant Aprov Direção da AGUIBEF 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Jose Damallio Participant Condabilista CECOME 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Felishoto Batista Participant Gestion Programas AGMS-GB 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Selientina Sambui Participant Enfenmeina CIDA Alternag 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Delunca Julio Mango Participant Ajunto DGSMI Ministério das Finanças 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Gimaela da Silva Costa Participant Enfenmeina Direção de SR 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Mamadu Aliu Djado Participant Director ENDA Santé 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Marcu Mane Participant Diadfuis SR Direção de SR 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Beti Co Participant Assistente SR UNFPA 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Faustino Games Correla Participant SPSR UNFPA 24-Jan Completed Guinea- Bissau Mimsa Huis Santia Participant Assist Social Ceu &Terra 24-Jan Completed Liberia Mbalu Jusu Facilitator JSP Consultant Family Health Division 19-Jan Completed Liberia Dr Tehongue Bentoe Participant Director Family Health Division 19-Jan Completed Liberia Angela Elong Chemonics Focal Point Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 19-Jan Completed Liberia Boakai Dempster Participant TBD GHSC-PSM 19-Jan Completed Liberia Gakanu Komali Participant TBD MOH 19-Jan Completed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 36 COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Liberia Ernest Gronyon Participant TBD MOH HFU 19-Jan Completed Liberia Albatha K Duallay Participant TBD MOH HFU 19-Jan Completed Liberia Zubah K Yennigo Participant TBD USAID 19-Jan Completed Liberia Nyenkon Won Participant TBD MOH-DPS 19-Jan Completed Liberia Regina Hudges Participant TBD Planned Parenthood 19-Jan Completed Liberia Marline Moses Participant TBD DKT Liberia 19-Jan Completed Liberia Mackona Hoff Participant TBD FHP 19-Jan Completed Liberia Techtoay Teah Participant TBD MOH 19-Jan Completed Liberia David Mulbah Participant TBD UNFPA 19-Jan Completed Liberia Samson K Aroaqua Participant TBD CHAI 19-Jan Completed Liberia John T Harris Participant TBD MOH-DPS 19-Jan Completed Mali Dr Brahima Mamadou Kone MOH Focal Point Chef Department ONASR 14-Nov Completed Mali Dr Kassoumou Participant TBD ONASR 14-Nov Completed Mali Dr Mohamed Ben Mohamed Participant Pharmacien ONASR 14-Nov Completed Mali Dr Ben Moulaye Idriss Participant Directeur Général DGSR 14-Nov Completed Mali Dr Jovith Ndahinyuka Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 14-Nov Completed Mali Sidibe Oumar Participant Supply Chain Advisor GHSC-PSM 14-Nov Completed Mali Kante Amadou Participant Responsible Logistique AMPPF 14-Nov Completed Mali Dr Amadou Diarra Participant CD/Recherche Formation ONASR 14-Nov Completed Mali Ibrahim Kone Participant Product & Marketing Mgr PSI Mali 14-Nov Completed Mali Kadidia Sidibe Participant Charge Social ONG ASDAP 14-Nov Completed Mali Dr Fanta Coulibaly Silioama Participant Medecin ONASR 14-Nov Completed Mali Traore Mama Participant Comptable DFM 14-Nov Completed Mali Biramou Toure Participant Pharmacien UNFPA 14-Nov Completed Mali Daga Maiga Participant SPSR UNFPA 14-Nov Completed Mali Tekete Sory Ibrahim Participant Pharmacien PPM 14-Nov Completed Mali Brehma Sissouma Participant Charge Appro/ Logistique ONG SIGI 14-Nov Completed Niger Dr Saadou Armayaou MOH Focal Point FP Supply Chain C/D DPF 16-Jan Completed Niger Ibrahim Ibou Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 16-Jan Completed Niger Angela Elong Chemonics Focal Point Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 16-Jan Completed Niger Achini Abdou Raimi Participant TBD DGPPD/MEF 16-Jan Completed Niger Dr Siddo Boubacar Participant TBD DPF/DGA 16-Jan Completed Niger Adamou Mariama Participant TBD ANBEF 16-Jan Completed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 37 COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Niger Abatcha Moustapha Mahamadou Participant TBD MSI Niger 16-Jan Completed Niger Haraouna Zohou Participant TBD Pathfinder 16-Jan Completed Niger Saidou Armayaou Participant TBD DPF/DLA 16-Jan Completed Niger A/C Ai Bonguere Participant TBD DSME/Aj 16-Jan Completed Niger Ramatoulaye Amadou Dia Participant TBD PSI Niger 16-Jan Completed Niger Dr Manzo Adamo Participant TBD UNFPA 17-Jan Completed Niger Maimouna Ibrahim Participant TBD DPF/DLA 17-Jan Completed Niger Ibrahim Innocent Participant TBD Consultant 17-Jan Completed Niger Ali Issa Participant TBD Animas Sutra 17-Jan Completed Niger Ibrahim Issayou Participant TBD MEF 17-Jan Completed Niger Dr Salou Hanane Sahadatou Participant TBD ONPPC 17-Jan Completed Nigeria Alex Ugochukwu MOH Focal Point Logistics Officer Family Health Division 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Dr Anyanwu Lawrence MOH Focal Point Director Family Health Division 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Myrrh Nkem Egbuchiem Facilitator FASP Advisor GHSC-PSM 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Angela Elong Chemonics Focal Point Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Popoola Bolarinwa Participant TBD FMOH & SW 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Adebayo Kemi Stella Participant Civil Servant FMOH & SW 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Fidelis P Edet Participant Business Research and Data Analyst SFH Nigeria 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Amata Anene Participant N/A UNFPA 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Caleb Aromeh Participant Programme Manager MSI Nigeria 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Oyedkun Aliu Ope Participant N/A FMOH & SW 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Atu Uzome Participant N/A NPSCMS 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Miranda Buba Participant In-Country Lead JSI 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Zainab Saidu Participant Senior Program Manager CHAI 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Olgimi Laturji Participant N/A JSI 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Damilola Tyani Participant N/A RHSC/PATH 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Hugh Momah Participant NYSC Intern GHSC-PSM 22-Jan Completed Nigeria Atoyese Dehinbo Participant Program Manager GHSC-PSM 22-Jan Completed Senegal Dr Cire Ly Facilitator CCL DSME 3-Apr Completed Senegal Dr Aline Kane Facilitator Supply Chain Advisor Chemonics HSS 3-Apr Completed Senegal Alieu Jammeh Chemonics Focal Point JSP Consultant Chemonics 3-Apr Completed Senegal Khadidiatou Aw Participant HSS Advisor USAID 3-Apr Completed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 38 COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Senegal Moussa Soumare Participant CL DSME 3-Apr Completed Senegal Papa Kalbe Seye Participant Logisticien DLSI 3-Apr Completed Senegal Khady Thiam Participant CSR DSME 3-Apr Completed Senegal Dianoune Sarr Participant Logisticien DSME 3-Apr Completed Senegal Ousmane Ka Participant ISS/GP DSME 3-Apr Completed Senegal Ndeye Aminata Ndiaye Participant Pharmacien DSME 3-Apr Completed Senegal Sokhna Alimatou Fay Participant Superviseur DKT 3-Apr Completed Sierra Leone Dr Francis Moses MOH Focal Point Program Manager NRHFP 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Regina Mamidy Yillah Facilitator JSP Consultant Chemonics 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Angela Elong Chemonics Focal Point Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Lawrence Sandi Participant N/A NMSA 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Jattu Abdulai Participant N/A NMSA 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Cynthia McCaullay Participant N/A USAID 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Ros Cooper Participant N/A FCDO 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Gamachis Participant N/A UNFPA 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Salmatu Participant N/A UNFPA 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Abdul I Kamaira Participant N/A MSI 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Mohammed Kabba Participant N/A MSI 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Theresa Ojong Participant N/A PPSAL 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Frank Chikhata Participant N/A CHAI 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Baindu Kosia Participant N/A Jphiego 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Abu Kalloh Participant N/A Jphiego 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Najima Bawa Participant N/A Save The Children 18-Jan Completed Sierra Leone Emmanuella Sandy Participant N/A Neem SL 18-Jan Completed Togo Dr Napo DARE MOH Focal Point Charge Plan Appro DSME 23-Jan Completed Togo Tchao Bleza Facilitator Inventory Mgmt Specialist GHSC-TA Francophone TO 23-Jan Completed Togo Francois Badjadouna Facilitator Data Analyst GHSC-TA Francophone TO 23-Jan Completed Togo Dr Hagui Ouedraogo Participant Team Lead GHSC-TA Francophone TO 23-Jan Completed Togo Angela Elong Chemonics Focal Point Technical Director GHSC-TA Francophone TO 23-Jan Completed Togo Lamboni Dalkoi Participant Directeur DPML/ Lome 23-Jan Completed Togo Guy C Ahialegbe Participant CP PF/SR UNFPA/Lome 23-Jan Completed Togo Komedzogbe Komla Participant Asisstant RSE DSMIPF/Lome 23-Jan Completed Togo Sossah Wadagni Participant PF OOAS MSHP 23-Jan Completed Togo Amegah Celestine Participant Charge Logistique DSMI PF 23-Jan Completed EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR JOINT SUPPLY PLANNING IN WEST AFRICA 39 COUNTRY NAME ROLE JOB TITLE ORGANIZATION DISCUSSION DATE STATUS COMMENTS Togo Agbolo Apet Tale Participant Responsible Logistique ATBEF 23-Jan Completed Togo Dongo A.E. 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