The inaugural PtD Global Indaba wrapped up in October bringing to a close the first conference on human resources (HR) for supply chain management (SCM) to take place in Africa. The event convened representatives from government institutions, public and private sector health supply chain organisations, donor agencies and others.
According to Tewuh Fomunyam, health systems strengthening specialist and regional coordinator for Chemonics International, “The PtD Indaba couldn’t have come at a better time, when global supply chains had been shaken to the core but they came out on top because of people that delivered.”
The Indaba in numbers
Following the event the PtD secretariat crunched the numbers and digested the post-event surveys, and it became apparent that demand for such an event had been even higher than expected.
Over 250 supply chain professionals from more than 40 countries attended the Global Indaba, including Zambia’s minister of health, Sylvia Masebo.
Ninety-six percent of those surveyed rated their overall experience of the conference as excellent or good, while 100 percent said the same of the breakout sessions, which were dedicated to presentations along the four Theory of change pathways.
Craig Arnold, head of social impact at Swoop Aero, described the Global Indaba as, “An unmatched opportunity to network with key players in human resources supply chains in Africa and globally.”
Addressing supply chain challenges
During the conference participants were asked to describe the main supply chain challenges they face in their roles and identify how to overcome them. The issue that posed most concern was a lack of SCM skills, while issues related to career development, staffing and professionalisation were also high on the participants’ lists.
When asked which action they would take to improve the supply chain workforce’s skills, staffing, motivation or working conditions, interventions related to capacity building were the most cited. Many participants said they would work to strengthen advocacy efforts and political will, while others pledged to implement PtD tools, offer more mentoring opportunities and pay closer attention to motivation as a means to enhance the supply chain workforce.
The second edition of the PtD Global Indaba
Speaking after the event Marasi Mwencha, head of supply chain at the Global Fund said, “The Global Indaba gave donor organisations a real opportunity to deepen engagement with countries on their priority areas of investment for human resources and identify potential opportunities for synergy with the private sector and amongst each other.”
“We can’t wait for the next one,” he added.
As for the next one, the Global Indaba steering committee is currently considering when and where the next instalment of the PtD Global Indaba will take place. Watch this space.
The Global Indaba was organised by People that Deliver with the support of its coalition members, in particular the International Association of Public Health Logisticians (IAPHL), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), Pharmaceutical Systems Africa and SAPICS.
The Association for Supply Chain Management, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria, the Partnership for Improving Supply Chain Management in Africa, Chemonics, VillageReach and Pamela Steele Associates were all proud sponsors of the Global Indaba.
