Regional Workshop on Strengthening Country Capacity for PC-NTD Elimination Dossiers
Brazzaville (Congo) - ESPEN will convene a regional training workshop from 24 to 26 March 2026 in Kintele (Brazzaville) to strengthen country capacity for the preparation, assessment, and submission of high-quality Preventive Chemotherapy (PC) NTD elimination dossiers.
High-quality elimination dossiers are essential for WHO validation and verification of elimination, yet many countries face persistent challenges related to data completeness, methodological rigor, evidence synthesis, and alignment with WHO dossier guidelines. While significant investments have been made in strengthening data systems and reporting, recent experiences show that countries often require targeted support to translate available data into coherent, policy-ready dossiers. This workshop is designed to address these gaps and reduce delays and repeated revision cycles in dossier submissions, thereby accelerating progress toward the WHO NTD Roadmap 2030 targets.
The workshop will bring together approximately 80 participants, including national NTD programme staff and members of national dossier committees from countries that are ready or approaching eligibility for elimination validation across trachoma, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, onchocerciasis, and lymphatic filariasis. Participants will be joined by WHO country, regional, and headquarters staff, WHO Collaborating Centres, and a limited number of technical partners, creating a platform for technical mentoring, peer learning, and cross-country exchange.
Through structured plenary sessions and hands-on country exercises, the workshop will strengthen understanding of dossier preparation guidelines, data-quality and completeness assessment protocols, and standardized approaches for compiling and validating evidence. By reinforcing country ownership of the elimination process and building sustained national expertise, the workshop will support timely, credible dossier submissions and contribute to safeguarding hard-won elimination gains across the African Region.