During the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of theECOWAS Health Ministers, organized by the West AfricanHealth Organization (WAHO) in Accra, Ghana, in October 2004,the Ministers adopted a recommendation for WAHO to begin theimplementation of an information sharing system that wouldenhance each country s ability to share and access product,supplier, and pharmaceutical market information. At WAHO srequest, John Snow, Inc./DELIVER initiated thisimplementation, beginning with the design. This reportsummarizes DELIVER s findings. By starting with a wellresearched and designed plan for implementation, theCoordinated Informed Buying (CIB) system will better meetthe needs of the users, and, ultimately, be a tool to assistthe region in their efforts towards reproductive healthcommodity security (RHCS). Nine out of the 15 ECOWAScountries provided input, with more than 85 individualscontributing to this design. Anecdotal information suggeststhat sharing of various elements of pharmaceuticalprocurement already occurs among countries in the region butin an ad hoc or limited manner. A CIB system wouldpotentially capitalize on this kind of experience and builda systematic strategy of regional coordination forinformation sharing, and, ultimately, improve the buyingpower for all involved. The overwhelming majority of keyinformants indicated that a CIB system would be valuableeither directly or indirectly for national procurementactivities. Across the board, organizations and individualsinterviewed articulated the benefits that they perceived forthe country in having a CIB system in place. Notably,managers said that the process of building the tool andmeeting as like-minded professionals to work as a regionwould be as valuable as the tool itself. CIB was noted forits potential to provide relevant information; thatinformation would help in understanding what specific healthcommodity procurements are taking place in both the regionand bordering countries (versus the general indices ofprices). This document maps a plan for CIB implementation tostart first with available data and to make use of existinginfrastructure. For data collection, all countries should beinvited to share information and should also be invited touse the CIB, regardless of whether a country providesinformation (i.e., access to information should not berestricted only to those who provide data). This paperrecommends that WAHO take the role of lead coordinator and,prior to proceeding, a CIB System Manager situated at WAHOshould be identified to lead the process.
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