1. Steering Committee Bujumbura (14-17/2/2011) & Saly (18-19/3/2011)
Our plan for 2011
(Based on December online brainstorming)
Steering Committee
Bujumbura (14-17/2/2011) & Saly (18-19/3/2011)

2. Our vision
PBF as a new holistic health system strenghtening strategy that can help African countries to accelerate progress towards universal coverage, the health MDGs and better governance of their health system.
However PBF is difficult. The strategy conveys risks. Failure will be a missed opportunity for population and harm reputation of the strategy.

3. Our diagnosis: challenges at 3 levels
Individual experts.
Agencies.
Countries.

4. Challenges at expert level
PBF requires contextualisation and tapping tacit and explicit knowledge  highly qualified expertise combining analytical skills and field experience.
High enthusiasm for the strategy  We need many experts, rapidly.
They will have to be able to design, implement and evaluate PBF schemes, with a real concern to limit the risks and perverse effects (critical mind and versatility).

5. Challenges at agency level
Some historical actors, some newcomers.
They tap different resources, use different aid instruments, face different constraints.
Need for collaboration, transfer of expertise, coordination but also emulation and even competition.
 They need a platform for healthy interactions.

6. Challenges at country level
« Too much » enthusiasm, impatience.
Lack of vision (reform dimension of PBF).
Lack of expertise in most countries.
Little connection to experiences in other countries.
 We have to enhance exchanges between countries and accompany countries.

7. The CoP as the main strategy to address these challenges (1)
At expert level, the CoP can contribute to:
Expand their number.
Build their capacity.
Update/upgrade continuously their PBF expertise.
Empower them as regional experts.
Enhance their circulation at regional level.
These could be our new strategic objectives for individual experts.

8. The CoP as the main strategy to address these challenges (2)
At agency level, the CoP can:
Favour exchange and collaboration.
Know each other, fair competition practices.
At country level, the CoP can:
Favour cross-fertilization
Ensure some quality assurance (reputation of PBF is a ‘commons’).
These could be our new strategic objectives for agencies and countries.

9. Implications for our activities
They should:
reach experts, involve different ‘PBF agencies’, cover any interested African countries.
be inclusive, but focus on practitioners.
address needs of African experts in terms of capacity building.
ensure broad vision and critical mind.
promote senior African experts at regional level.
enhance the ‘regional community’ dimension and trust among members.

10. CoP as a Knowledge Management strategy
By its membership and its activities, our CoP could cover the full spectrum of issues to be covered by any KM strategy:
Share existing knowledge among members.
Enhance acquisition of knowledge by newcomers.
Enhance utilisation of knowledge.
Identify knowledge gaps.
Accumulate, create and develop new knowledge.
Store knowledge.

11. Implications for our membership
It should cover the whole spectrum of knowledge holders and users:
Practitioners.
Policy makers.
Technical assistants and consultants.
Trainers.
Researchers.
Field innovators.
Knowledge brokers.

12. Implications for our activities (long run)
Dissemination: books, papers, workshops, e-debate.
Acquisition: training, debate, access to literature.
Use: tools with operational relevance.
Identification: studies, debate, brainstorming.
Creation: studies and working groups.
Storage: websites, e-library.

13. Our strategic ambition
The CoP as the leading knowledge platform on PBF in Africa. To be assessed on the following indicators:
Most PBF experts are members of the CoP.
Most of the PBF knowledge is produced by CoP members.
Many knowledge users are members.
There is enough quality assurance internally to improve/validate knowledge.

14. Main objectives for 2011
Membership: continue expansion, with a focus on East and West Africa; yet, with a same level of intimacy and trust.
Domain: maintain focus on PBF, but be open to interest for other RBF mechanisms?
Practices: how to design and implement a pilot PBF; how to scale up; how to improve/revise PBF schemes (quality assurance).
New!

15. Ambitions for 2011: activities
Consolidate.
Perpetuate.
Innovate.
Improve.

16. Consolidate (update 2/2011)
The Book on PBF in Central Africa.
A Spin-off: the PBF CoP working paper series
The scientific supplement on health sector reform in Rwanda.
The PBF toolkit. 
New!  

17. Perpetuate/repeat (2/2011)
Regional workshops:
Bujumbura February 2011.
Saly, March 2011.
Tanzania, November 2011.
PBF courses.
Google group:
Market place/opportunities (e.g. courses).
Info sharing.
Debate.
Online readers club. 
Cordaid  
New!
Starting

18. Innovate: capacity building (2/2011)
Funding needed!
Development of operational tools.
Training: advanced 1-week course on economic forecasting and budgeting of a PBF policy.
Short capacity building sessions during workshops.
E-learning on the PBF-toolkit.
Toolkit
(funding unavailable for the moment)
 (Bujumbura)
To be followed

19. Innovate: quality assurance (2/2011)
Funding needed!
Working groups on important topics (‘good practices’).
Study tours in the Great Lakes; internship.
Peer review of projects.
Starting!
Rockefeller funding?
Doubtful (funding unavailable)

20. Innovate: evidence (2/2011)
Funding needed!
Develop a multi-country research project involving African scholars (small studies).
Evaluation tools.
Literature review.
Training to enhance scientific skills.
Coaching for members writing scientific papers.
Financial support for CoP members whose papers are accepted at international conference.
A project to be written in 2011? 
Difficult, we do our best

21. Innovate: ICT platforms (2/2011)
Mendeley®: storage of papers.
Test new tools (chat, videoconference…)
Collaboration with the RBF website
Mapping PBF in Africa
Web platform
Expert database.
Calendar of events.
In standby
Progressively
Starting (but without support)
Under consideration

22. Improve (2/2011) Recognition that different actors are complementary.
Better coordination around training activities and materials.
Better coordination on country workshops with involvement of CoP members as trainers.
Better coordination with other CoPs.
A first workshop with the PPP CoP in 2011?
We progress
Build on the toolkit?
Not yet
Postponed because of the other CoP

23. Facilitation of the CoP (2/2011)
Challenges:
Manage the growth and the high expectations.
Workload.
Raise funds for the CoP.
Involve members.
Strategies:
An African hub (ESP Kigali).
A junior expert as support (ESP Kigali).
Yearly report 2010; advocacy.
Delegation (e.g. working groups).
Funding obtained (Rockefeller),
Under recruitment!

24. Sponsoring (2/2011)
For 2011, little commitment from HHA agencies at regional level so far (secured: funding for facilitation - 6 months, AfDB).
Main message: We will not be able to undertake all the ideas proposed in December 2010.

25. Sponsoring: our strategy
(1) Look for funding from HHA agencies at country level, seems feasible for some activities (eg. workshops) but requires good coordination and personal relationships. 
(2) Build on funding from agencies outside HHA.
Proved!

26. Conclusion
Imbalance between our achievements in 2010 and the resources we will receive in We will have to be creative to access resources.
Pressure on available expertise will remain high.
Quality assurance should come higher on our priorities.