National staff of Burkina Faso take MLM Course on immunization program management
Dates: 12 May to 14 June 2025
Venue: Burkina Faso
Background:
From 12 May to 14 June 2025, key national staff from Burkina Faso’s Essential Programme on Immunization (EPI) received formal training in vaccination programme management. The training was delivered in three consecutive cohorts: 17 staff from the central level, 13 regional heads of disease control units, and the 13 EPI officers from each of the country’s regions. The sessions were conducted using WHO’s Mid-Level Management (MLM) course and funded by Gavi through the WHO Country Office.
The MLM course comprises 15 modules designed to equip EPI managers with practical tools for managing immunization programmes. Topics included: planning and conducting EPI reviews, immunization beyond the first year of life (2YL), supportive supervision, surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases, supplemental immunization activities, vaccine safety, new vaccine introduction, cold chain and stock management, community engagement, monitoring systems, and financing.
A mix of instructional methods was used, including PowerPoint presentations, educational videos, tabletop exercises, role-playing, and participant experience sharing. The facilitation team was primarily drawn from the WHO Country Office and the Inter-country Support Team for West Africa, with support from the Ministry of Health, AMP, PATH, and UNICEF.
At the end of the sessions, participants agreed on key follow-up actions: sharing the training outcomes with their respective teams, standardizing immunization coverage charting, producing a regular feedback bulletin, and disseminating a national job aid outlining how to effectively conduct vaccination sessions in all health facilities across the country.
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Authors: Hilaire DADJO (
Photos: 1. Facilitator supervising a group work, 2. Mr Harou Moussa facilitation he session on Vaccines Supply and Logistics. 3. Dr Edinam A. facilitating the session on Vaccine Security.