Advancing Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chain Systems

Under the USG-funded Supply Chain Systems (SCS) Project led by Management Sciences for Health (MSH), U3 SystemsWork International provides strategic sub-national technical and operational support to strengthen Ethiopia’s public health supply chain system and improve the availability of essential health commodities across the country.

The initiative focuses on strengthening regional and facility-level supply chain operations through close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs), federal hospitals, health facilities, and implementing partners. By bridging national strategies with field-level implementation, the project promotes efficient, data-driven, and responsive supply chain management systems.

Evidence-Based System Strengthening

As part of the initiative, a comprehensive supply chain maturity baseline assessment was conducted to identify system strengths, operational gaps, and priority improvement areas at sub-national levels. The assessment findings informed targeted technical assistance and operational support interventions tailored to regional and facility-specific needs.

The support was delivered through a Ministry of Health-led Technical Support Team (TST) approach in collaboration with federal hospitals and regional stakeholders. The intervention reached more than 400 selected health facilities across 12 regions and two city administrations in Ethiopia.

Key Areas of Support

The project’s sub-national support interventions focus on:

  • Supply chain planning, coordination, and performance monitoring
  • Supportive supervision, mentorship, and integrated technical assistance
  • Strengthening logistics data quality and reporting systems
  • Improving utilization of LMIS and digital health platforms
  • Capacity building and on-the-job training for health workers and supply chain professionals
  • Supporting data review meetings and performance improvement initiatives
  • Coordinating Technical Support Teams (TSTs) and collaborative problem-solving mechanisms
  • Monitoring implementation progress and resolving operational bottlenecks
  • Promoting accountability, governance, and evidence-based decision-making

Strengthening Systems Through Collaboration

U3’s implementation approach emphasizes government leadership, locally driven solutions, and sustainable institutional capacity development. Through regular field visits, remote technical support, stakeholder engagement, and continuous collaboration with MSH, government counterparts, and project partners, the initiative contributes to building resilient and high-performing supply chain systems.

The project continues to support Ethiopia’s efforts to improve access to essential medicines and health commodities while strengthening long-term public health supply chain capacity nationwide.

Prepared by: Alemayehu Nigatu, Sub-national Lead, U3 Ethiopia, USG-SCS Project

Technical Support and Review: Tewodros Ewnetu, Sub-lead 2; Mulugeta Mebratu, Sub-lead 1, U3 Ethiopia, USG-SCS Project