Akufo-Addo wins award for innovative use of scorecard tools in healthcare
Seven African leaders have been recognized at the inaugural African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) Joyce Kafanabo Awards for Excellence and Innovation, which focused on the digitalization of national health programs and data-driven decision-making to enhance health services and outcomes.
The awards, presented by the President of Guinea Bissau and Chair of ALMA, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, were announced on February 18th at the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The winners were selected based on the ALMA Scorecard for Accountability and Action, which monitors countries’ progress against priority malaria, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH), and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) indicators across the continent.
Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo received the award for Best Innovative Use of Scorecard Tools, making Ghana the first country to incorporate community-generated scorecard data into its health management information system.
Zambia was honored for the best malaria scorecard tool, which utilizes accountability mechanisms at the national and sub-national levels to generate and track actions. Kenya was recognized for the best RMNCAH scorecard tool, which has been decentralized to the county level and shared with key partners.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) received an award for the best NTD scorecard tool, which it uses to enhance collaboration and coordination among stakeholders, monitor interventions, identify bottlenecks, and stimulate action. Ethiopia was recognized for the best community scorecard tool, introduced in 55% of districts across the country, which has improved community engagement in health services. Rwanda won the award for the best institutionalization of scorecard tools across malaria and RMNCAH.
Finally, Tanzania won the award for the best innovative use of scorecard tools, including training MPs on scorecard use, translating scorecards into the local language, and developing a mobile app for scorecard data collection.
The awards are named after Joyce Kafanabo, former Senior Director at ALMA, who passed away in January 2021. Joyce was an outstanding leader, diplomat, and visionary who was much-loved and held in the highest regard by colleagues, friends, government representatives, development partners, and the community. She had previously served in the diplomatic service as Minister Plenipotentiary for the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania to the UN.
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló said, “These awards are a fitting tribute to the legacy of Joyce Kafanabo and the impact she had on the fight against malaria and other diseases, and they serve as a testament to the progress that has been made and the potential for continued success in the fight against these diseases.” Data-driven decision-making is crucial in the fight against malaria and other diseases, and these awards acknowledge and celebrate the significant progress being made.
The ALMA remains dedicated to supporting winners and all African countries in their efforts to improve health outcomes and empower citizens through data-driven decision-making.
The awards committee assessed each country using the Scorecard Maturity assessment tool based on five criteria: management use, decentralization, stakeholder sharing, institutionalization and political use, and documentation and evaluation.
The ALMA Scorecard for Accountability and Action tracks countries’ progress against priority malaria, RMNCAH, and NTDs indicators across the continent, with over 40 countries adopting national and sub-national scorecards.
The awards serve to recognize countries that have significantly strengthened their country scorecards through public sharing, capacity building, and empowering citizens to improve health services and outcomes.
The winners demonstrate their commitment to improving health outcomes and serving their citizens through the effective use of digital tools and data-driven decision-making.
