The Africa CDC Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme (MELP) was virtually launched on 02 June 2022, followed by an official physical launch on the margins of the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union on 18 February 2023. The programme aims to equip Ministers with the necessary skills, knowledge, and networks to navigate the complexities of public health leadership successfully. MELP seeks to support African Ministers of Health in reimagining health in their respective Member States and across Africa and strengthening their planning and execution capacity to achieve transformative goals and improve leadership effectiveness. MELP is an African-led and African-owned programme that is contextualised to the needs of Africa based on input from past and current Ministers of Health. The Programme is designed for Ministers of Health to fortify their leadership skills, collectively striving to achieve Africa CDC “New Public Health Order” as well as the African Union Agenda 2063.
- Enhancing the decision-making and execution capacity of Health Ministers and their Senior teams
- Engaging with and mobilizing a “Whole of Government” approach to secure political buy in for investments in Health
- Developing national and continental capabilities for securing domestic and external resources for health
- Supporting Ministers of Health to drive rapid advances in health and economic security as well as equity and rights through digital technology and innovation
- Effectively engaging other (non-health) Ministers, as well as the private sector, not-for-profit sector and communities and individuals in achieving the Africa CDC New Public Health Order and Agenda 2063
- Benchmarking and cross-pollinating best health policies and practices across AU Member States for collaborative, experiential learning and development
- Creating an active network of current and former Ministers of Health to enable peer support and learning to enable good leadership based on experience and context within Africa
- Providing a tailored package of leadership development and other support needed to improve health outcomes, including sexual and reproductive health in the context of universal health coverage
MELP is a flexible programme with various inputs, events and capacity building for Ministers to drive lasting change and improvements in health care systems across the African continent. The Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme (MELP) is structured around four core areas to enable a catalytic transformation throughout the health sector:
- Tailored program for Health Ministers with an annual cohort size of 12-15 participants that brings together current and former ministers in 3 day retreats to explore key topics of leadership and transforming positively the health of African people
- Supporting Ministers of Health to define and develop a Legacy initiative that is both aspirational as well as SMART ( specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound) and to align such Legacy Initiatives as much as possible aith the Africa CDC strategy and New Public Health Order
- Develop an online learning system and resource center that can support Ministers and their senior teams to jointly enhance their skills in Leadership Governance and Management and apply those skills to effectively strengthen thier Health system based on the WHO 6 pillars of a functional health system
- Create a network of current and former Ministers of Health that will enable peer networking, support and mutual learning
The following are the expected outcomes of the MELP programme:
- Enhanced decision-making and execution capacity of Health Ministers and their Senior teams to improve health outcomes
- A robust package of leadership development, technical assistance and other needed support to drive sustainable and impactful health policies on the continent – this will be evidenced through the legacy initiatives
- An innovative domestic financing strategy for Ministers which can be tailored to their individual needs to advance health and economic security
- A dashboard of all health commitments, frameworks and declarations which can be tailored to the needs of the Ministers to track progress and support their implementation effectively.
- A well defined and funded Legacy Initiative that will impact positively the lives and health of the slected target population
- An active network of current and former Ministers of Health
