Celebrating the noteworthy accomplishments of African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), supported by the UK Aid Fleming Fund, and its phase I partners in the Qualifying the Workforce for AMR Surveillance (QWArS) project, we take pride in the substantial progress made in establishing a framework for the continuous development of AMR professionals across the African and Asian continents.
The QWArS project, initiated in 2019 and executed until 2023, spanned 14 African and 3 Asian countries. Led by the Fleming Fund country grantee, ASLM in collaboration with key partners, the project aimed to create a robust foundation for AMR professionals.
The partners included: the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the American Society for Microbiology (ASM); the Institut Pasteur International Network (IPIN); the Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formation (IRESSEF); Foundation Mérieux (FM); International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr-b); and the National Food Institute, One Health Trust (OHT) Technical University of Denmark (DUT).
In phase I of the Fleming Fund project, remarkable milestones were achieved, including the development of a skills-based qualification framework for AMR professionals in Africa and Asia; the formulation of a continental strategy for the adoption of the training model by countries; and the training of over 331 laboratory and epidemiology professionals.
Additionally, 200 AMR surveillance professionals were qualified, and 58 master trainers were trained, empowering 79 African and Asian subject matter experts as trainers, mentors, and supervisors.
“The teaching materials were easy to follow with well-selected examples of pragmatic pedagogical scenarios that made learning intuitive and easily applicable”Top of Form
Dr. Beatrice Achan
Senior Lecturer and QWArS Facilitator
College of Health Sciences, Makerere University
Furthermore, the project collaborated with professionals from 73 health institutions and 67 agriculture ministries across 17 countries at various levels. It also engaged with experts from 6 veterinary/animal health universities, 2 government environmental health laboratories, and 3 private sector laboratories.
The QWArS project stands out as a distinctive initiative that seeks to efficiently address the skill gap in AMR surveillance.
It does so through the implementation of a standardized competency framework, supported by the active involvement of participating countries and partners. The QWArS approach focused on providing effective training by fostering country ownership, adhering to educational quality standards through the ASLM Academy, and supporting individual career advancement by connecting with designations or licensures from national professional councils wherever feasible.
’Ni-QWArS is a kick starter-of-a-dream. Nigeria is eager to provide a model of #AMR workforce development for other countries in the region and beyond.’
Abiodun Egwuenu,
AMR Programme Manager
Nigeria Centers for Disease Control
As we anticipate the next phase of QWArS, we eagerly look forward to further advancements in this critical initiative. These developments are essential for contributing to the critical mass required to effectively tackle the global challenge of AMR.
“As we move to the phase II implementation of the Fleming Fund project, we look forward to more capacity building for the AMR surveillance workforce and the incorporation of the Fleming Fund strategic shifts in the implementation of QWArS as part of sustaining the gains made in phase .I”
Luna Parry
Fleming Fund Regional Grants Coordinator
, Mott MacDonald
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)’s Fleming Fund is a UK aid programme supporting up to 25 countries across Africa and Asia to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a leading contributor to deaths from infectious diseases worldwide. The Fleming Fund invests in strengthening AMR surveillance systems through a portfolio of country grants, regional grants and fellowships managed by Mott MacDonald, and global projects managed by DHSC.