National capacity strengthening within the context of an international vector control partnership: findings from a qualitative study conducted within the Ugandan ‘Tiny Targets’ programme

TL;DR

This study explores how an international partnership in Uganda strengthened local capacity for vector control and offers lessons for similar global health initiatives.

Contribution

The study identifies three key lessons for designing capacity strengthening in international vector control partnerships.

Findings

Capacity strengthening priorities evolved from immediate operational needs to more advanced, transferable knowledge and skills.

Operational priorities were more numerous than systemic ones, though systemic priorities were harder to resolve.

Concentrating capacity gains within a few individuals threatened long-term sustainability.

Abstract

The Ugandan Tiny Target programme is an example of an international vector control partnership that held specific capacity strengthening objectives in support of a disease elimination goal. Drawing on this experience, we sought to derive transferable lessons that may inform capacity strengthening approaches within other partnership-based vector control programmes.

A longitudinal qualitative study encompassing semistructured interviews conducted with Ugandan partners working on the Tiny Target programme. Data analysis was informed by a general inductive approach.

Capacity strengthening priorities evolved over time initially focusing on the immediate capacities needed to perform roles and responsibilities assigned within the partnership and then shifting towards more advanced, transferable knowledge and skills. A distinction between operational and systemic priorities was observed: the former was necessary to support successful programme implementation whereas the latter reflected fundamental limitations or complexities within the Ugandan context that were bypassed by including an international partner. Systemic priorities were fewer in number than their operational counterparts, although substantially harder to resolve. The largest apparent threat to the long-term sustainability of reported capacity gains was their concentration within a small number of individuals.

Our study highlights three key lessons that may inform the design of national capacity strengthening activities conducted within the context of international vector control partnerships, including (1) Multiple approaches to strengthen capacity are needed and that can adapt to changing capacity strengthening priorities over time; (2) Balancing operational and systemic capacity strengthening priorities, the latter becoming increasingly important within longer-term partnerships and (3) Partnership members in focal country/ies should be supported to actively facilitate the transfer of newly acquired knowledge and skills to relevant colleagues/communities outside of the partnership. The generic nature of these recommendations suggests they are likely to be of benefit to many and diverse international partnerships within the wider global health space.