AMREF and Accenture: Finding new solutions to some of Africa's most challenging issues
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP) was set up as a ring-fenced not-for-profit consulting group within Accenture whose main fous is bringing affordable business technology expertise to the international development sector and promoting private sector engagement in sustainable development.
Background to the partnership
AMREF's partnership with Accenture is proving hugely successful and the collaboration has led to fantastic steps forward in providing new solutions to some of Africa's most challenging health issues. Their work on a groundbreaking eLearning project in Kenya has helped train thousands of nurses and AMREF are now looking at other ways to harness technology to increase and improve the number and skills of health workers in Africa.
AMREF and Accenture's relationship has deepend beyond just their support with the eLearning programme in Kenya and has seen them provide support with our work in IT, knowledge management, corporate account management and risk management. In Africa, Accenture Development Partnerships has seconded staff to AMREF to support the development of the new corporate strategy and to strengthen AMREF's project management systems.
The ongoing relationship has also seen Gib Bulloch, the founder and Executive Director of Accenture Development Partnerships, talk at AMREF's 'Maximising Partnerships' breakfast briefing where he spoke about his positive experiences of partnership and innovation to ensure better health in Africa.
“Accenture’s partnership with AMREF – which started in 2004 - has already delivered tremendous results. The pioneering five-year eLearning programme, which has been jointly developed by Accenture and AMREF, offers new, exciting avenues for developing health resources in Africa. We are very proud of our association with AMREF and are looking forward to a growing and mutually beneficial relationship.”
Jill Huntley, Director of Corporate Citizenship, Accenture
PROJECT IN FOCUS: Innovative 
approaches to health worker training through eLearning
To tackle the severe shortage of trained nurses in Kenya, AMREF, with the support of Accenture, established an eLearning programme to upgrade the skills of Kenyan nurses from a basic certificate level to a registered nurses diploma.
Nurses are at the frontline of healthcare provision and make up 55% of the health workforce in Kenya. AMREF wanted to provide a programme that would improve the quality and efficiency of nurses’ training, leading to better qualified nurses able to deliver essential health services to disadvantaged Kenyans.
With the help of Accenture an innovative electronic learning programme was devised, allowing nurses to stay in their post at their health clinic whilst completing the additional qualifications through computer based training materials and practical clinical instruction. It also allows many more nurses to participate in the program, free from the same limits on classroom places and without the cost of paper materials having to be passed on to students.
"Before I joined the programme, I had never even used a computer before. To my surprise, I did not find it hard to adapt to eLearning. I am more confident now, as I can diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions, from mental illness to infectious diseases. Today, I can treat more patients independently." Anne Kamene, Registered Community Health Nurse, Kangundo Hospital, Eastern Province
The eLearning programme has proved so successful that AMREF is now looking to replicate it in Uganda to help train midwives. AMREF has also been asked for assistance in replicating the programme in Zambia, Malawi and Rwanda. Find out more about the e-learning project.