This article is part of PtD's Stronger Together: Health Supply Chain Voices thought-leadership series
In the latest piece in our thought leadership series, Andrew Brown explains exactly how countries can modernise and innovate their health supply chain workforce
In response to recent funding cuts, if countries are to strengthen their supply chain workforce modernisation and innovation should be central to their plans.
Modernisation involves updating and improving existing systems, processes and technologies to make them more effective and efficient. This can include the integration of new technologies, refining logistics, enhancing data collection and analysis methods, and improving overall management practices. Innovation, on the other hand, refers to the introduction of new ideas, methods or products to solve existing problems or improve current practices. In the context of health supply chains, this could mean developing new tools or platforms for education and training, such as microlearning modules, or implementing digital supervision systems like coaching to performance to enhance staff performance and motivation.
Microlearning, supportive supervision, peer-to-peer platforms and leadership development have all been subject to innovation or modernisation and can quickly enhance competence and supply chain performance. Let’s look into these in more detail.
Microlearning: Focused learning delivered in the workplace
Microlearning is an educational method that provides content in brief segments, typically lasting a few minutes. It can be accessed via smartphones and easily fits into the busy schedules of health supply chain workers. This approach enhances retention and aligns with the learner's needs, making it effective for skills development and knowledge reinforcement. Countries should consider how they can incorporate micro-learning approaches into their onboarding or in-service training using existing learning management platforms where these exist or installing a learning platform that meets local needs.
One example is GaneshAID’s work with WHO AFRO to develop AFRiSC, a platform that offers mini courses – many around ten minutes long – for immunisation supply chain (iSC) workers. The courses are tailored to the specific needs of different roles, including iSC managers, logisticians, cold chain officers, storekeepers and in-country technical partners, with currently 700 users from 40 countries engaged on the platform.
Supportive supervision: An essential element for improved performance
The People that Deliver (PtD) Theory of Change for Human Resources in Health Supply Chains emphasises optimising staff performance through four pathways: Staffing, skills, working conditions, and motivation. Motivation involves correcting poor performance and rewarding good performance. The PtD Performance Management Toolkit and WHO’s Training for mid-level managers on supportive supervision both provide practical resources to design these systems and develop supervisor competencies. To foster positive motivation, supply chain organisations should implement supportive supervision systems by developing standard operating procedures suitable for the local context. These should include relevant technologies and innovations, and supervisors should be trained in the skills needed to run the supervision system, create awareness for all staff explaining how the system will work and the benefits to them, and ensure adequate funding for the effective running of the system.
To help reduce costs and provide access to supportive supervision, GaneshAID has developed and implemented a digital coaching to performance (C2P) approach. C2P uses self-assessment, improvement planning, mobile learning and performance recognition to efficiently link employees and supervisors to improve confidence, motivation and performance. Deployed in Senegal, Benin and Mali, the system combines a central web platform with a mobile application to provide accessible performance coaching leading to improved immunisation worker performance
Peer-to-peer platforms: Developing and sharing innovative solutions together
PtD’s recent thought leadership article entitled Africa’s quiet supply chain revolution, written by Pamela Steele, discussed the need for increased innovation and a heightened focus on local solutions. Peer-to-peer platforms are particularly useful to connect individuals and organisations within and between countries to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and innovative solutions, enabling them to learn from each other's experiences and best practices. By fostering collaboration and communication, peer-to-peer platforms help build a supportive community that can collectively address the issues arising from reduced financial and human resources.
Professionals should join existing international, regional or country based platforms. Where these don’t exist, local organisations or peer champions should explore how to launch such platforms levering existing tools and approaches.
For example, The International Association of Public Health Logisticians (IAPHL) was established in 2007 with the mission to promote the professionalisation of public health logisticians through education and information sharing. The community of practice provides a platform for members to network, exchange ideas and develop skills. Members come from over 150 countries, possess diverse professional backgrounds and represent all tiers of the supply chain. You can join for free here and participate in the discussions, and also join or start your own country chapter.
In 2023 GaneshAID worked with a number of countries and stakeholders to launch the Knowledge Lab for Innovation Community (KLIC), a web-based platform designed to document and share proven health innovations worldwide and enhance health workers’ capacity to innovate and lead. The platform enables the various actors in the public health innovation community, including innovators, innovation users, policymakers, donors, researchers and communities, to discuss and cross-pollinate new ideas to address health equity challenges. Monthly virtual sessions and annual hybrid meetings have demonstrated the useful exchange of innovations for improving immunisation and health supply chains. You can visit and join the KLIC platform here to share your innovations and experiences and learn from others.
Transformative leadership: Fundamental for successful modernisation and innovation
Transformational leadership and change management skills are essential for immunisation and health supply chain managers seeking to enhance supply chain systems within their national context. In the current climate, where there is a heightened emphasis on country-led development of these systems, this need is more critical than ever.
The Strategic Training Executive Program (STEP), coordinated by PtD, is a great example of how to instil transformational leadership and change management competencies in public health supply chain institutions. It is a professional development tool specifically designed to meet the needs of health supply chain leaders and managers and has resulted in notable improvements in supply chain systems.
In Ethiopia, STEP 2.0 enabled collaborative problem-solving and team leadership concepts in last-mile delivery interventions and territorial expansion. In Zambia, STEP 2.0 participants improved a logistics management information system, allowing health districts to extend initial system training to health centres within their regions. In Cambodia, participants employed cross-functional collaborative teams to improve vaccine, storage, distribution and availability.
It is imperative for country leads to engage with immunisation and PSCM stakeholders to explore the implementation of the STEP 2.0 programme in their respective countries.
What steps will you take?
Given the cuts to international development spending and reduction of international support for immunisation and health product supply chains, the following actions are essential when addressing immunisation and supply chain workforce issues. I challenge country supply chain leaders to pick at least one and commit to implementation.
- Streamline immunisation and service delivery processes
- Consider which workforce and systems innovations can be adopted locally
- Integrate quality improvement thinking to modernise immunisation and PSCM systems to enhance efficiency and improve performance
Dr. Andrew Brown is a medicines and vaccines access accelerator advisor, adjunct associate professor at the University of Canberra and a global health innovation consultancy for GaneshAID.
References
World economic forum, 12th March 2025. 83% of USAID funding cancelled, https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/03/usaid-cut-threatens-global-health-and-other-top-health-stories/#1.-83%-of-usaid-funding-cancelled
OXFAM, 23rd May 2025. What USAID does, and the impact of Trump’s cuts on foreign aid https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/issues/making-foreign-aid-work/what-do-trumps-proposed-foreign-aid-cuts-mean/
Udemy, 2021. Why Microlearning Works: The Science Behind the Strategy.
Elucidate, 2025, Your guide to microlearning with 6 inspiring examples
Bobo,P. Bray,G. Etter,K. Singh,N. Strategic Training Executive Program 2.0: A Leadership and Change Management Program for Health Supply Chains in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Global Health: Science and Practice 2024 | Volume 12 | Number 5 https://www.ghspjournal.org/content/ghsp/early/2024/09/11/GHSP-D-23-00365.full.pdf
