Africa CDC visit to ECDC: Enhancing E-learning and Learning Management System capabilities for public health
Two experts from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) successfully completed an exchange visit to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm, Sweden, from 16–27 September 2024. The visit focused on enhancing Africa CDC’s Learning Management System (LMS) capabilities and fostering collaboration on public health training strategies.
During the exchange, Africa CDC officials Adam Terefe and Tiruneh Baye engaged with ECDC experts to discuss best practices in LMS management, content creation, and the integration of new technologies for continuous professional development. The visit covered a range of topics, including:
- Using the LMS to support synchronous and asynchronous training;
- Organising and managing the LMS for continental programmes such as the ECDC fellowship and Africa CDC’s African Epidemic Service;
- Enhancing LMS functionalities to improve user engagement;
- Exploring future trends in e-learning;
- Crafting communication strategies for the LMS launch.
The exchange allowed both organisations to collaborate on improving e-learning platforms, creating accessible public health training materials, and ensuring the continuous professional development of public health professionals in Africa and Europe.
Participants from both institutions shared expertise and insights aimed at enhancing the scalability, efficiency, and reach of LMS-based training initiatives.
The visit concluded with discussions on potential future collaborations and the ongoing exchange of knowledge between the two organisations, with both Africa CDC and ECDC emphasising their commitment to working closely together on public health training and capacity-building initiatives.
Background
Funded by the European Development Fund, the four-year “Africa CDC – ECDC Partnership” project has been in implementation since January 2021. The project aims to strengthen Africa CDC’s capacity in health preparedness, disease surveillance, and response to communicable diseases across the continent. A key component of this project is supporting Africa CDC’s public health workforce development strategy, in which the LMS plays a critical role.
