𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬

Our Executive Director, Prof Binyam Tilahun, PhD,MPH,FIAHSI, joined a panel on institutional capacity development under the Lihiket 2.0 program, convened with Ethiopian universities and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London (LSHTM).

The panel, “Reflection on Joint Public Health Research and Training Partnerships in Ethiopia: Past, Present, and Future,” featured Professor Liam Smeeth, Director of LSHTM, together with senior researchers from Addis Ababa University, Haramaya University, and Mekelle University, who reflected candidly on what makes a successful long-term collaboration & partnership.

Prof Binyam Tilahun, PhD,MPH,FIAHSI put forward three priorities; continuously building capacity at both universities and the Ministry of Health; embedded, collaborative partnership; and a deliberate focus on impact and equity. As a concrete example, he noted that through CBMP - Capacity Building and Mentorship Program in Ethiopia the University of Gondar sub-granted London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London, equitable partnership in practice.

CBMP - Capacity Building and Mentorship Program in Ethiopia is a living demonstration that effective partnership is not confined to links with Global North institutions, but also among local institutions including the Federal Ministry of Health Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). This embedded approach has shaped CBMP’s support across 100 woredas, working within the health system rather than alongside it. Going forward, he emphasized sustained embedded research, continued partnership, and a sharper focus on results and impact.

The event also featured Lihiket 2.0 postdoctoral fellows, who presented findings from two years of work. A program under CBMP - Capacity Building and Mentorship Program in Ethiopia, Lihiket 2.0 focuses on generating evidence on routine data quality and using the data to strengthen performance particularly in Ethiopia’s primary health care.