Ethiopia: Building human resource capacity through twinning with the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Services

19th February 2025

Transaid partnered with the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) on a 12-month supply chain strengthening initiative with the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Services (EPSS), supported by funding from the Gates Foundation. EPSS, with its headquarters in Addis Ababa, is responsible for procuring and distributing nearly one billion US dollars’ worth of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies each year to more than 4,000 health facilities across Ethiopia, now the tenth most populous country in the world.

The twinning project aimed to build human resource capacity and support staff development within EPSS, aligning with the organisation’s ambition to become the most responsive and efficient pharmaceutical supply chain in Africa by 2030. Following an in-depth review of policies and procedures and an on-site assessment, Transaid and its partners identified targeted actions to strengthen operational practices. A tailored implementation plan was developed to guide the rollout of these activities. A set of tool templates was also developed and made available to EPSS to utilise and adapt ongoing.