In a remarkable stride towards malaria elimination, the University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control’s (UP ISMC) ‘Leadership and Management Training for Impact in Malaria Eradication’ course is making waves as the first-ever dual language programme at the University. This year the course is conducted in English and simultaneously translated into Portuguese, setting a precedent for the University and, quite possibly, for South Africa as a whole.

The course, which commenced on 14 March 2023, has been met with resounding interest and success, building on its triumph in the first year. The course curriculum has undergone significant revamping based on valuable feedback from the first cohort, faculty members, the course integrator, leadership coaches, and the course developers. Addressing challenges identified during the previous intake, such as  infrastructure limitations, more time needed with the leadership coaches including group coaching, and more time to work on individual system strengthening projects (SSP), were also addressed where possible.

A diverse group of fifty-three delegates, including middle and senior managers to directors of national malaria control programmes (NMCPs), are attending this year’s programme. Their shared vision is to acquire essential skills to shape evidence-based elimination strategies and foster cross-border collaboration among malaria-endemic Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The course also provides opportunities for networking, information sharing and potential collaboration across the participating countries.

The course aims to provide all the malaria-endemic SADC countries with the much-needed leadership and management training to help get the region to malaria elimination.

Dr Taneshka Kruger, the Project Manager for the UP ISMC, emphasised the course’s role in strengthening cross-border coherence and mitigating biases to ensure a united effort towards malaria elimination. “The delegates come from  eight malaria-endemic SADC countries (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) working across national borders to eliminate malaria in southern Africa by 2030; a partnership known as the Elimination 8 (E8). In addition, Angola and Mozambique are Lusophone (Portuguese- speaking) nations, which underscores the importance of offering the course in both English and Portuguese,” she said.

"We understand the urgency of strengthening cross-border collaboration between the southern African countries toward eliminating malaria. This involves strengthening cross-border coherence,  developing cross-cultural communication, and eliminating possible bias. By offering the course in English and Portuguese, we aim  to provide all the southern African countries with the much-needed leadership and management training to help get the region to malaria elimination, and to ensure the necessary support for the countries that mainly communicate in Portuguese. While we  encourage Portuguese speakers to participate in English whenever possible, the attendees can follow the course in either language," said Dr Kruger. 

The free leadership course features 23 sessions that cover a range of topics, including the science of leadership, effective management, evidence-based decision-making, and the science of malaria and malaria elimination. Expert faculty members from the University of Pretoria and partnering institutions – the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute (ALLI), the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the National Department of Health, the E8, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) – lend their valuable leadership, and malaria-related expertise, with GIBS implementing the programme.

While the first-year programme was presented virtually, the second year programme takes on a hybrid format with modules 1 and 2  that were delivered virtually, and module 3 slated for an in-person session at Future Africa, UP's pan-African platform for collaborative research, from 7 to 12 August 2023.

Professor Tiaan de Jager, Director of the UP ISMC, expressed unwavering optimism about the programme’s future beyond year two. “There are plans for expansion of the course, but funding remains a challenge. These two years of running the course had some interesting challenges and we have learned to adapt and change as needed. Once the in-person module is completed, we will have additional and much-needed information to refine and develop a more robust and sustainable training programme,” said Prof De Jager. “Future iterations may look at the inclusion of other interested countries, or other groups beyond NMCPs, to participate in the course and gain the necessary leadership and management skills to get us to malaria elimination,” he said.

The UP ISMC eagerly anticipates welcoming delegates to Future Africa where they will continue to hone their skills, forge fruitful collaborations, and march steadfastly towards a malaria-free southern Africa.