About Management Development Institute (MDI)

Program Overview

The Management Development Institute (MDI) for Health Care Organisations is a one-week intensive program designed to enhance the leadership and management skills of program managers and leaders of sub-Saharan organisations, governmental and non-governmental, that are devoted to delivering health care services to underserved populations. The program has been designed to specifically assist African ministries of health in implementing their particular national health priorities.

Since its inception in 2006, 1,338 participants from 41 African countries have graduated from this program. MDI invites participation of those involved in implementing national health priorities in the areas of communicable diseases and chronic diseases.

The MDI program was designed by world-class management faculty from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and by leaders of Amref Health Africa. The MDI is delivered by an outstanding faculty from African universities including Amref Health Africa, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town (UCT), International School of Management - Dakar, NOVA School of Business and Economics and Lagos Business School.

The MDI is administered by the Global Business School Network and is funded by Johnson & Johnson, one of the most admired companies in the world today. In 2017 MDI will be taught in three languages: English, French and Portuguese.

 

Management Development Institute

Program Need

Without effective leadership and management of health services, there will be barriers to scaling up service delivery, the development of robust health systems and the achievement of national health priorities in sub-Saharan Africa. This constraint persists due to a shortage of leadership and management expertise in the region and to an uncoordinated and fragmented approach to building this capacity. Leadership and management knowledge, skills and abilities can be taught and have a demonstrated impact in enhancing the quantity, quality and access to healthcare for underserved populations. Health systems must achieve more and better health outcomes with the limited human and financial resources at their disposal. Sound management and leadership can significantly increase the efficiency and effectiveness with which these scarce resources are used, while strengthening overall health systems on the continent.

Program Goals

The primary goal of the MDI is to assist African ministries of health in implementing their particular national health priorities and improving the effectiveness of their health systems by enhancing the leadership and management skills and practices of program managers and leaders of organisations that are devoted to delivering healthcare services to underserved populations.

Participants will gain access to management tools, frameworks and knowledge that will enable them to increase the quantity and quality of health services they provide along with improved access to them. The lessons are practical and aimed toward successfully meeting the complex challenges faced by African health systems.