Jinka – March 08, 2025 (NIPN/EPHI) - The four-day training and workshop held in Jinka Town of South Ethiopia Region was successfully completed last Thursday, March 06, 2025.
Closing the event, coordinator of the National Information Platform for Nutrition-Ethiopia (NIPN-Ethiopia), Dr. Aregash Samuel said that the training and workshop event was very important and timely that urged the researchers, members of the academia, and others in the health sectors to pay proper attention to their important responsibilities in serving the community. “To become successful, we all are expected to act responsibly. We all should work hard to enrich ourselves with appropriate or valuable knowledge and support one another to fill gaps,” she said.
Dr. Aregash also said that NIPN-Ethiopia has been striving hard to create a platform in which we all share experiences and transfer knowledge. “The training and experience-sharing platforms we are conducting in various parts of the country show our endeavors to address challenges our partners are facing. The four-day training and workshop held in Jinka Town in collaboration with Arba-Minch University is part of our programs in this regard. Participants from various academic institutions, health sectors and research centers, are believed to draw invaluable lessons from the program,” she said.
NIPN-Ethiopia Coordinator further noted that the support provided to the Public Health Institute of the South Ethiopia Region would not be the last one. “We know that what we have offered as donations is not sufficient for the newly established institute. This is an eye opener. What I can say confidently here is that we can offer what is available with us to support promising efforts,” she stated.
Dr. Aregash also appreciated the unreserved efforts made by researchers and instructors from Arba-Minch University to drive hundreds of kilometers under the scorching sun to share their experience with their research colleagues in the South Ethiopia Region. “I hope they are always available for similar experience-sharing support,” she said.
Professionals from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), NIPN-Ethiopia, and Arba-Minch University delivered presentations on various topics, providing valuable discussion points for the training and workshop participants.
Dr. Aregash Samuel raised issues on the Policy Question Formulation (PQF), challenges encountered from PQF identification to approval, practical experience at the national level, challenges expected at the regional level, policy brief preparation, data repository, and NIPN dashboard. Dr. Samson Mideksa, researcher from NIPN/EPHI discussed evidence informed policy making, and rapid evidence review for NIPN. Dr. Befikadu Tariku, researcher and instructor from Arba-Minch University, has dealt with issues on: an overview of dietary data collection methods and REDCap, components of multiple pass 24-hrs dietary recall, an overview of the designing part of the tool on the REDCap, a data collection practical session, and components of the nonstandard recipe. Dr. Belay Tafa, researcher and instructor from Arba-Minch University presented his briefings on indigenous foods for food and nutrition security, and value-added Enset products for food and nutrition security. Hailegebriel Endehsaw, communications officer from NIPN-Ethiopia, discussed issues on nutrition information including communications and dissemination.
Training and workshop participants drawn from different universities and health offices (zonal and woreda level) in the South Ethiopia Region said that the event created a favorable discussion platform for researchers.
Gelila Biresaw, a Director of Community Engagement for the College of Medical Science at Arba-Minch University, said that she had learnt a lot from the trainers’ experiences. “The trainers have extensive experience in their respective fields. We have learned from the real challenges they have faced on the ground,” Gelila stated.
Gelila commented that although the training was good and beneficial, the venue was not comfortable enough for such an invaluable event. “The organizing body should take into account the convenience of the meeting halls in such a hot environment,” she said.
Ermias Wabeto is an instructor and researcher at the public health department of Jinka University. He said that the four-day training provided him with a lot of valuable insights. “It created a forum for researchers from various universities and public health institutes to know each other and exchange experiences. We have learned about the nutritional values of traditional foods; their roles in ensuring nutrition… We have been briefed on how communications should be disseminated. There were pleasing presentations on dietary assessment methods using REDCap, challenges of policy questions formulation, evidence-informed policy making… Apart from getting experience, I have established relations with friends with whom I will work together,” Ermias said.
Selamawit Dires is a dean of the School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science at Dilla University. She said that the training was very important for her. “This was a good exposure for me to update myself. Issues discussed here, such as information communication and proper data repository, will help us to think of introducing new things in our institute,” she said.
NIPN-Ethiopia donated two laptop computers and a Wi-Fi mobile apparatus to the South Ethiopia Region Public Health Institute. The Deputy Director General of the EPHI, Dr. Getachew Tollera handed over the apparatus to the Director General of the South Ethiopia Region Public Health Institute, Mr. Agune Ashole. (NIPN/EPHI)
