The first iNJIA Accelerator Event brought together stakeholders from across Uganda and Tanzania to share best practices on leadership, innovation and cervical cancer and reflect on the future of the NJIA Programme.
NJIA is a leadership development programme that brings together senior leaders from the corporate sector and the healthcare ecosystems in Uganda, Tanzania and India through online and in person immersions that foster cross-sector collaboration and develop impactful innovations to address the burden of cervical cancer in these countries. Pepal has worked with partners to run 10 online iNJIA immersion programmes since 2020. The Accelerator event was an opportunity to reflect on this milestone.
On October 27th, 2022, representatives from Tanzanian and Ugandan Ministries of Health, NGOs, hospitals and donor representatives came together in-person for the first iNJIA Leadership, Innovation and Cervical Cancer Accelerator Event in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Accelerator offered an important opportunity for stakeholders to network, share insights and best-practices and to reflect on the future of leadership and social impact in East Africa, as well as highlighting some of the most impactful innovations developed by participants of iNJIA virtual leadership and cervical cancer programmes.
Dr Safina Yusuf, Head of the Reproductive Cancer Unit at the Ministry of Health of Tanzania, sharing the impact of NJIA
Dr Safina Yusuf, Head of the Reproductive Cancer Unit at the Ministry of Health of Tanzania, opened the event, outlining the impact the iNJIA leadership programme has had on building the capacity of Regional Health Management Teams to improve cervical cancer outcomes.
Sarah Galvin, Executive Director of Pepal
Following this energising start, participants learnt more about the impact of NJIA from Pepal’s Executive Director, Sarah Galvin. NJIA innovations have ranged from mobile outreach screening to school-based sensitisation programmes, and are a true testament to the power of shared leadership and cross-sectoral collaboration in fostering better cervical cancer outcomes.
A highlight of the morning were bitesize executive leadership training sessions, which gave participants an insight into the iNJIA experience. Using ICS connect, a tool that stimulates self-awareness by offering leaders an opportunity to reflect on their leadership styles, delegates put their leadership skills into action through a Zoom In, Zoom Out activity. This not only brought out each leader’s ICS colour energies, but also the importance of communication, collaboration and shared leadership to problem-solve effectively.
Accelerator event participants completing the Zoom In Zoom Out game
In between leadership sessions, participants had the opportunity to engage in technical discussions about cervical cancer and innovation, discussing: embedding leadership into health programming; integrating cervical cancer screening with other health services; developing leadership skills among Regional Health Teams and delivering the leadership pillar in Tanzania’s cervical cancer strategy. These breakouts allowed leaders to share their expertise around the challenges and opportunities that they face. These insights will help shape the future of iNJIA.
In the afternoon, participants listened to a panel discussion entitled ‘Small Budget - Big Impact: How Innovation Can Impact Health Outcomes’, featuring speakers from NGO partners and donors in Tanzania and Uganda. The panellists invited participants to shift to a resource abundance mindset, emphasising the importance of leveraging existing resources, both financial and human, to grow the impact of their cervical cancer interventions. The event closed with parting words from Dr Rashid Mfaume, the Regional Medical Officer of Dar es Salaam, who re-emphasised the importance of leadership in achieving health outcomes in Tanzania and beyond.
Dr Rashid Mfaume, the Regional Medical Officer of Dar es Salaam
Participants gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about the event, telling us that they left the day feeling energised and committed to iNJIA’s goal of strengthening leadership to develop innovations and achieve better health outcomes in Uganda and Tanzania. We look forward to continuing learning and sharing best practices with all the iNJIA stakeholders and we are excited about the future of the programme, and the potential for future collaboration as we strive to support the development of healthcare leaders across East Africa.
Networking at the event