ADDIS ABABA – July 27, 2024 (NIPN/EPHI) - Last Friday, the National Information Platforms for Nutrition-Ethiopia (NIPN-Ethiopia) concluded here a training workshop and general meeting of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Steering Committee (MER-SC). The event brought together senior researchers, university instructors, health professionals, program officers and representatives from various ministerial offices including academic and public health institutions.
During the three-day event, participants exchanged experiences through annual performance reports, training sessions, and discussions. Closing the event, Dr. Aregash Samuel, Coordinator of NIPN-Ethiopia, emphasized the importance of sharing the knowledge gained from the event. She highlighted the significant investment made by NIPN-Ethiopia, in collaboration with other stakeholders, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), to provide training on systematic reviews and meta-analysis, aimed at supporting the participants' research efforts.
Dr. Aregash also expressed gratitude to Dr. Tadesse Zerfu, a research fellow from the International Food Policy Research Institute, who conducted the training on systematic review and meta-analysis.
On the first day, representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration, Ministry of Water and Energy, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) presented their annual performance reports. The presentations sparked lively debates, with some participants questioning the accuracy of certain performance metrics. They said that “the claim of 100 percent performance execution rates is exaggerated and may lead to disputes”.
While presenting the annual EPHI’s performance report, Dr. Adamu Belay, a senior researcher at EPHI, took the opportunity to remind attendees about the institute's centenary celebrations and encouraged them to visit EPHI’s updated special website to stay informed and contribute research articles.
The event, held at the national training center of EPHI, saw the participation of over 32 senior researchers from various institutions, ministerial offices, and public health institutions at both federal and sub-national levels. (NIPN/EPHI).