Faculty of Health Sciences, Universite des Montagnes (UdM) of Cameroon was the 15th member to be admitted into the One Health Central and Eastern Africa (OHCEA). UdM was not only the first member to be admitted from Cameroon but also happens to be the only private institution. To ensure proper coordination of activities, OHCEA recruits staff and also sets up an office in each of the partner countries. UdM provided office space at Bangangte for the country office.
Having recruited a Country Administrator and Focal Person, OHCEA’s next step was to set up an office and orient staff who run the office and those who lead implementation of activities. Orientation of new staff was conducted at Benco hotel in Bangangte on April 1 and 2, 2016. The orientation was facilitated by Ms Lilian Leku (UdM Senior Finance Officer), Ms Sara Nannyanzi (OHCEA Regional Manager -Finance and Administration) and Timothy Wakabi (OHCE Head M&E). Participants to the orientation included the Country Administrator, Focal Person, activity leads, and the Dean / Vice President. During the orientation, participants were trained on USAID rules and procedures, OHCEA’s Financial and Administrative Policies and Procedures, OHW M&E and reporting requirements and procedures. Participants were also trained on Asana, a project management tool used by the OHW. In addition, participants reviewed the implementation plan, ensuring that all activities have activity leads and that the implementation dates were realistic.
As part of hands-on training on procurement procedures for the Country Administrator, the Finance and Administration team from UdM and OHCEA worked with the Country Administrator to procure various office furniture, equipment and consumables. Furthermore, the team also trained the Country Administrator on how to use some of the equipment. OHCEA Cameroon Country office is now equipped and functional.
Article by OHCEA Communication Team