Francophone African countries such as Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, and Togo face many problems managing health supply chains. These problems come from weak infrastructure, not enough trained workers, and poor data tracking. USAID’s Global Health Supply Chain (GHSC) Technical Assistance (TA) Francophone Task Order, run by Chemonics International and partners, works to fix these problems by improving governance, logistics, procurement, and data systems in health.
The GHSC-TA Francophone Task Order uses several strategies to improve systems broadly and also specific country actions.
The program helps Ministries of Health and procurement groups, like Benin’s Centrale d’Achat des Médicaments Essentiels (CAME). They work on making clear rules, procedures, and ways to check progress. This supports better planning and tracking of health products.
In Benin, setting up standard operating procedures (SOPs) has improved supply chain openness and made decisions based on data. SOPs have helped connect the buying, storing, and delivery parts, cutting delays and shortages.
People are important for good supply chains. The program started the Young Logistician Professionals Program (YLPP) in Benin. It trained and placed 34 logistics workers to fix staff shortages and create skilled teams to handle logistics well.
Training also covered the safety of medicines and vaccines, especially for COVID-19. About 283 health workers learned how to monitor patient safety following World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
Updating data systems helps track stock, plan purchases, and predict needs better. Senegal worked on improving data flow from national to local levels to plan supplies well. Good and timely data lets governments and donors respond better to changing needs.
The project helps use electronic logistics management systems (LMIS) that link warehouses and health centers online. This allows real-time stock checks.
Supply chain issues often affect several countries. The project works to connect West African countries and groups to share data and best ways to manage supplies. This helps make family planning and reproductive health products more secure and ready for emergencies.
For example, Cameroon tested the Essential Competencies Framework for Supply Chain Management. It guides roles and actions for emergencies like epidemics. This framework, including the Emergency Supply Chain Playbook, is now part of national plans and shared with other Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) countries.
These efforts show how supply chain problems need solutions that fit each country’s needs.
Good supply chains are key to reaching Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3). This goal focuses on keeping people healthy and well. By making sure quality medicines and vaccines are available, supply chains help stop diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and cut down child deaths that can be prevented.
Donors spend between $7 and $10 billion every year to buy health products for low- and middle-income countries. But without strong supply chains, this money may not reach health workers. Fixing supply chain problems could save up to 6 million lives in five years by improving health for mothers and children.
New technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation can help fix long-time supply chain problems both abroad and in U.S. healthcare.
AI can study large amounts of past and current data to better guess what medicines and products will be needed. This helps avoid running out or throwing away expired items by planning purchases better.
Healthcare leaders and IT managers in the U.S. can use AI forecasting tools similar to those used in global health projects. These tools can handle changing patient numbers, seasonal needs, and supply problems.
Simbo AI is a company that makes automated phone systems for healthcare offices. These systems help answer calls and manage supply orders faster and with fewer mistakes. This supports smooth communication for ordering and delivery without waiting for a person.
AI phone automation cuts down work and makes sure important info moves quickly between clinics, suppliers, and delivery teams.
AI systems also automate entering data and link sources like electronic health records, purchase records, and warehouse stock. This improves how accurate and timely data is, which is a big problem in Francophone Africa’s supply chains.
Hospitals in the U.S. can use similar tools to track inventory better and give clear reports, which helps with transparency and following rules.
Medical equipment is very important. AI can watch equipment remotely and find possible problems before they happen. It can also schedule repairs automatically. This lowers downtime and keeps patient care going without breaks.
Training for equipment maintenance in Haiti fits with this use of AI.
Hospitals and clinics get benefits when their supply chain tasks—from buying to stock control and billing—work together in their existing computer systems. Workflow automation can alert staff when to reorder, make purchase requests, and track supply use without manual input.
For healthcare managers, these tools reduce human errors, save time, and help patients get steady care.
By combining a worldwide view with technology, U.S. healthcare can keep high care standards and stay ready for challenges.
Health supply chains in Francophone Africa have many challenges in structure, staff, and technology that slow down the delivery of good health products. USAID’s GHSC-TA Francophone Task Order has used governance changes, workforce training, better data systems, and regional cooperation as a working plan to improve supply chains. Country-specific work has helped with drug waste management, logistics, and emergency planning.
Advances in AI and workflow automation, like those from Simbo AI, give useful tools to fix similar problems in health supply chains worldwide and in the U.S. Medical leaders and IT managers can learn from these ideas and global experience to improve supply availability, streamline work, and support patient health.
By using these lessons and technology, U.S. health groups can help with global health goals while making their own supply chains stronger.
The goal is to strengthen supply chain systems in Francophone countries of Africa and Haiti to ensure timely access to quality essential health products and services, improve collaboration, and support the Global Health Security Agenda.
The objectives are: 1) Strengthen in-country supply chain systems, 2) Enhance collaboration for commodity security, and 3) Support Global Health Security Agenda and supply chain emergency preparedness strategies.
It enhances governance, strategic planning, procurement, logistics, warehousing, data visibility, and capacity building across all supply chain levels.
It empowers regional actors to bolster health systems and fosters coordination between various initiatives to enhance commodity security, particularly in family planning and reproductive health.
It develops an essential competencies framework for supply chain management tailored to specific countries, enabling efficient responses to public health emergencies.
The Playbook includes tools and protocols to prepare and respond to epidemic and pandemic health emergencies, providing guidance for countries.
The framework was piloted in Cameroon, tailored to local contexts, and has been adopted to enhance the national emergency preparedness strategy.
The program supports the government in improving policy, governance, capacity in stock management, and provides technical assistance for pharmaceutical waste management.
The project focuses on enhancing data availability for accurate commodity need estimates and supply planning at both national and local levels.
Countries such as Kenya have expressed interest in customizing the framework for their contexts to enhance their emergency preparedness plans.
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