Supervisory Support for Mass Drug Administration (MDA) of Azithromycin, Kano State
Background
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than half of global under-five deaths, largely from pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria. Building on MORDOR trial evidence, the Gates Foundation-backed REACH programme scaled azithromycin Mass Drug Administration (MDA) nationally. As part of the SARMAAN II Project, Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR) engaged ACE Strategy & Consults to provide independent supervisory support during Kano State’s Round 2 campaign.
Our Approach
ACE applied the WHO’s Observe-Assess-Correct-Mentor-Document-Escalate (OACMDE) supervision framework, using merit-based recruitment to select ward- and Local Government Area (LGA) -level supervisors. Supervisors were deployed across all campaign wards, supported by daily review meetings and real-time performance monitoring via the DIGIT dashboard to enable adaptive, evidence-based supervision throughout implementation.
Our Impact
- 108% overall target population coverage with 7 of 8 LGAs exceeding the 100% target
- 26% improvement in campaign performance over Round 1
- 54 of 82 wards achieved the full 100% coverage benchmark
- 61% of targeted settlements reached (4,634 of 7,625), pinpointing hard-to-reach areas needing further investment
A 26% jump in coverage over a single round is a strong signal that ACE’s merit-based recruitment and real-time dashboard monitoring can be relied on by future MDA and immunization campaigns looking to close coverage gaps quickly.
Partners: SCIDaR | Gates Foundation | Kano State Government