RESAOLAB partners and network members came together for the 5th International Steering Committee Meeting at the Azalai Grand Hotel in Bamako on 5-6 December 2017.
The meeting gave participants an opportunity to take stock of the achievements of Phase 2 of the program (2013-2017) and to discuss future plans. In addition, delegates took part in a workshop on antimicrobial resistance and a round table discussion on the future of young researchers in West Africa.
Some 60 participants from the world of medical biology in Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo attended the meeting. There were also representatives of the Malian Ministry of Public Health and Hygiene as well as representatives of the French Embassy, the French Development Agency and Monaco’s Department of International Cooperation. The Managing Director of the Mérieux Foundation also took part.
RESAOLAB Phase 2: 2013-2017
The program’s second phase continued with progress in the clinical laboratory sector: implementation of quality plans, laboratory supervision and educational support via the development of scholarships, etc. Educational tools such as e-learning modules have been developed over the past four years. To facilitate data management, RESAOLAB has supported the implementation of LabBook, a laboratory information management system (LIMS), and training programs to teach lab personnel how to use it.
After representatives presented their perspectives on RESAOLAB in their countries and their strategy for continuing to build on the project’s achievements, meeting participants discussed new challenges and ways to address them.