The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), in collaboration with Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), brought together 14 emerging health security advocates from across Africa for a two-day workshop from July 22 to 23, 2024, to deepen their budget advocacy skills. The inaugural in-person workshop for the cohort of advocates representing seven organizations from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia followed two months of virtual meetings. It provided a platform for learning and sharing with fellow civils society organization (CSO) Academy participants and the faculty/lead facilitators. It aimed to build the participants’ understanding of the need for domestic investments in epidemic preparedness and how to choose an impactful capstone project, a key deliverable at the end of the program.
The workshop adopted an adult learning approach, offering participants an opportunity to practice and reflect on their experiences. It combined panel and plenary discussions, interactive group exercises and limited lecture presentations, interspersed with entertaining but informative icebreaker sessions. The participants were taken through a session on opportunities for CSO intervention in the budget process. Some discussions focused on domestic financing for health security led by GHAI and RTSL, with emphasis on lessons learned from GHAI’s Prevent Epidemics programs in Nigeria and Ghana supported by RTSL. By sharing best practices, attendees gained insights into effective strategies for raising public and political will for reliable and sustained funding for epidemic preparedness.
A key deliverable of the CSO Academy is an impactful budget advocacy capstone project to support a campaign for epidemic preparedness by each team from the seven selected CSOs. The participants were provided guidance on developing their capstone projects which requires leveraging the knowledge they have acquired throughout the program. The project gives the participants an opportunity to integrate their learning with work experience and examine how the knowledge gained from the Academy can be made operational in their work.
The two-day workshop concluded with participants expressing their appreciation for being part of the CSO Academy and the opportunity to meet in person. According to one of the participants “The workshop is not an addition to our packages or degrees; it’s finding some sense of fulfillment that we are adding value to life.” The connections built through the workshop will serve them through the next six months of the Academy and beyond. Armed with the insights gained from the workshop, these advocates can carry forward impactful advocacy campaigns that promote the prioritization of epidemic preparedness with increased and sustained funding toward a healthier and more resilient Africa.
