H8. HR&S Network of Technicians in Sub-Sahara Africa

We are happy to welcome members. The eligibility criteria is to have attended one of our training sessions, passed the training examination and committed to be active really on the network.

It is a self-driven network, with no membership fee. Everyone who wants to benefit will also have to contribute with their work hours; around one hour per week for regular members and two for the team of operations.

Management

John Chrysostom OPEDUN, Team-leader.
– Arranging a 3 day workshop, with support from Moses.
Atwine AMBROSE ?
– Compile the resources available on manufacturers’ websites and ensure the network has access and benefits from this, including trainings.
Mariam SWALEH ?
– Ensure the network benefits from RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry). Agilent support RSC.
Karim (Abdoul-Karim) YANKINE
– GLP training coordination.
– Identify free och charge training from the Internet on Chemistry.
Mardochee Mudakikwa BIRORI
– Lay out ambitions and outcome challenges for laboratories in general.

With coordination support from

Cecilia ÖMAN, CEO, HR&S HQ Sweden.
Moses MURUNGI, Team-leader HR&S Branch Uganda.
Mardochee BIRORI, Team-leader HR&S Branch Rwanda.

Members

Burkina Faso

Abdoul-Karim YANKINE
SENEXEL, a private laboratory.
Technician at the private laboratory Senexel in Burkins Faso.
Preparing solutions and standards to perform the analyses, following up the
samples to make sure all the treatments and parameters have been met
before submitting the results for the interpretations, and also the
routine control of certain equipment such as the balance, the pH-meter,
etc . Under the supervision of the Directory Mr SENOU Boubacar. “We’re
dealing with a lot of interresing activities: environmental,
geological, etc. What really passionnante me more is all reports to
water and water quality in our sens of making information accessible to
help reduce water related issues ( sanitary, lack, waste,… ). Through
SENEXEL I’m really forging in the domain of science seen the nature and
the quality of scientific service SENEXEL is dealing with. Academically,
it’s this huge possibility the work offers, notably to research in a
phD that will inevitably benefit to home education and more on the
continent, refferring to the aspect of water problem we’re about to
address.”

Uganda

Moses MRUNGI
Natural Products Research Lab, Makerere University.
John Chrysostom OPEDUN 
Org/Inorg Analytical lab, Kyambogo University. Laboratory technician. Organizes conducts and assesses practical classes for undergraduate and
postgraduate students in the Chemistry labs, supervises research, and
also teaches some theory classes. In the Lab, oversees the maintenance
of equipment, repairs, such as the UV vis spectrophotometer, and also
trains others on operations
Sandra NAMULINDA.
Quality Control Officer, National Water, Uganda. National Water Company. (Governmental laboratory.) Chemistry lab, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Kampala, Uganda.
Atwine AMBROSE
Food Microbiology Laboratory, Makerere University. Post graduate student in food safety and quality management at Makerere university and working in the food microbiology laboratory, dept of food technology and nutrition, Makerere university, given my experience in ISO QMS, I’m currently spearheading the laboratory ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation programme, for all our departmental laboratories, the school of food technology, nutrition and bioengineering aims at promoting food safety in the country through laboratory testing, we do testing of all kinds of food/feed products and of course many on going projects in food safety and pdt development and accreditation is definitely going to bring limitless opportunities

Kenya

Joan Chepkemri KOECHAT
Biological Sciences Laboratory, University of Eldoret. Acting Chief technologist, Dep.Biological Sciences, University of
Eldoret, Kenya.Incharge of Zoology Labs, Run under and postgraduate
practicals, Supervise technologists and assign duties, Supervise field
courses and lead in the collection of specimens and maintenance of labs,
chemical stores, and Animal houses among many duties assigned by the
head of the department.
Mariam Maku SWALEH
Ph.D. student, Technical University of Mombasa, Department of pure and applied sciences, Kenya. Postgraduate lab, Technical University of Mombasa.

 

Rwanda

Mardochee Mudakikwa BIRORI. Physical chemistry lab, College of Science and Technoloy, University of Rwanda (UR).
Valens HABIMANA. College of Science and Technoloy, University of Rwanda (UR).

ROPE

Background

Lack of a network for Laboratory Technicans.

Context

In actual practice laboratories train students, and sometimes accompany them in their dissertation.

  • This network is member driver. There is no institution or paid staff that will organise a programme for others to join. It is an effort from each member.
  • It is an exclusive network in the sense that only Technicians with an HR&S certificate from a training are eligible.
  • It is important for the network to have at least a minimum level of activities while we build our strength, thus we run monthly training/review events combined with ROPE sessions.
    The training can be offered by Cecilia, a supplier or anyone else in the network. Network members may want to base their trainings on resources that has been collected from equipment websites.
    The review is based on a network members own work. It can be organised in a way that the network member presents a draft accreditation, GLP or SOP proposal or a draft grant application to the team, the team reviews the material during the month and offers advice during the following monthly meeting.
  • We assign one hour once a month: 40 minutes is set aside for training/ review and 20 min for the ROPE work.
    The events takes place on a Thursday after work.
  • We only invite those who have an HR&S certificate, we see the certificate as an indicator of intrinsic motivation. We can only have members that are self-driven. Better with a small group to start with, with self-driven participants, than trying to push people who actually do not have the motivation.
unsplash - dreams

Mission

Push a shift of paradigm so that all laboratories in Africa have access to  functioning advanced scientific equipment

Ambition

  1. Collaboration and networking between laboratories. Support each other; share knowledge and give advice on laboratory matters. A network enabling exchange of views, solving lab works problems, discussion about other lab issues, etc.
  2. Develop a Technician capacity strengthening strategy,  that we can share and support the implementation of at the management level.
  3. Facilitate for institutions to have access to functioning advanced scientific equipment. We want to increase the laboratory capacity, get more functioning advanced equipment.
  4. Empower technicians
    • High-light technicians within the education system, since in actual practice laboratories train students, and sometimes accompany them in their dissertation.
    • Promote that technicians are acknowledged for their effort; acknowledged in publications to which they have contributed significantly, are paid a reasonable salary and provided training, tools and career opportunities by their employer.
  • Members present resources available on Internet at monthly meetings  – coordination vacant.
    • World Bank – https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/ar/419941468010480283/pdf/927280WP0Labor00Box385377B00PUBLIC0.pdf
    • Training material posted on international equipment manufacturers web-sites, for example Agilent.
    • GLP – https://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/testing/good-laboratory-practiceglp.htm
    • RSC royal society of chemists
  •  Attend trainings
    • RSC
  • Visits between laboratories
    • Agenda: Laboratory introduction to visitors, Physical laboratory tour of premises, Introductory meeting with local staff, Decentralized tour of specific laboratories, Occupational health & safety tour of designated laboratories, Introduction to laboratory operations.
    • Search for travel grants
  • Coordinated  laboratory services
    • Submission of external reference test samples for joint analysis.
    • Send samples between laboratories.

Provide training

  • People needs to be trained in hygiene, communities contaminate their groundwater themselves.
  • Removing arsenic from water.
  • How to manage pieces of advanced equipment.
  • Time management.
  • Service and maintenance of scientific equipment.
  • Analytical methods

Outcome challenge

  • Network operations – 2021, 2022.
  • Service and maintenance strategies.
  • Funding to procure new pieces of equipment.

The visit preparations 2021 John, Moses and Mariam developed a draft application document to OPCW.
Outcome Challenges the members are not responding to share their travelling documents.

Activities

Researcher & technician support

  1. Develop ROPE for the network.
  2. Compile contact persons established at laboratories

 

Institution management support

  1. Support University and laboratory managements with HR&S coaching of the procurement, service and maintenance of equipment (FAST).
    Lean model reach out:
    Benefit from the network to identify individuals within their
    managements to reach out to. Do persona research, send a message, follow up on the message. Offer free seminars on the FAST to showcase our services. Build a relation and maintain it with key-stakeholders with
    agency for change and intrinsic motivation.

Milestones

  1. Develop ROPE for the network – Cecilia
    ROPE is presented here and is kept updated.
  2. Coordination of members present resources available on Internet at monthly meetings  – vacant.
  3. Compiling resources available
    • SHIMADZU, Agilent, and RETSCH – Valens
  4. Compile a list of Network members – Joan, Karim.
    Name, institution, mobile, e-mail, country and area of specialization.
  5. Compile a list of Laboratories linked to this programme – Karim, Joan
    That will initially be just informal, thus the laboratories of the technicians who are members of the network. Compilation of physical locations of laboratories, their operations, and contact persons. The purpose with a list of institutions could be for the technicians to know the areas of capacity of laboratories that also have a welcoming attitude towards visitors and sharing.
  6. Compile a list of advisers – Hamadé.
  7. Offer advise on accreditation – Atwine
  8. Seek travel grants – John, Mariam, Moses
    Targeting visits between laboratories. Compile institutions offering travel grants to visit laboratories, fill in applications, meet in zoom meetings to strengthen applications together, submit. When we submit applications we reflect over 1. If we were in the grant giving committee, which type of information would we need to ensure that the money invested, is in line with grant giving organisation’s mandate. 2. Can HR&S deliver as proposed in the application? We have to be able to deliver output as promised. 
    Expected Output, Level ONE: xx applications submitted per year.

Institution management support

  1. Designing procedures for how HR&S can support laboratories with the FAST programme – vacant
    We develop a customer survey template. We collect information on which type of services that HR&S can provide to laboratories that they would seriously benefit from. And how much they would be willing to pay for the service. The main first questions would be; i) which are the outcome challenges that the laboratory faces and ii) how to they handle these challenges today. Then we use this information to propose a solution based on the HR&S tools and experiences.
  2. The Universities are developing a tenders. They have different manufacturer for exemple; Shimadzu, Agilent and Bruker HR&S can bridge between the manufacturer and the university. Cecilia send a presenting how HR&S bridge between the international manufacturers and the universities.

MileStone – Workshop

3-day workshop to boost collaboration between member laboratories, laboratory visits and best practice sharing

Moses MURUNGI, John Chrysostom OPEDUN , Joan Chepkemei KOECH are planning a 3-day workshop for the network of technicians to take place in the first quarter of 2022. We are looking to boost collaboration between member laboratories, Laboratory visits and best practice sharing, as well as an informative discussion about accreditation. This is therefore to ask members here who would be interested in this workshop to register themselves and the laboratories to help us in planning purposes. We hope to attract participants from the region so don’t feel restricted to register your interest.

Participants

1. Murungi Moses (Natural Products Research Lab, Mak)
2. John Chrys. Opedun (Kyambogo University- Org/Inorg. -Analytical lab)
3. Mariam Maku Swaleh. (Technical University of Mombasa- Postgraduate lab)
4. Birori Mudakikwa Mardochee (University of Rwanda, College of Science and Technoloy) Physical chemistry lab
5. Emmanuel Nkurunziza Analytical Instrument lab (UR – College of Sceince and Technology)
6. Vedaste Nyandwi Inorganic Chemistry lab (UR – College of Sceince and Technology)
7. Frodouard Hitimana Organic and Biorganic lab (UR – College of Sceince and Technology)
8. Jean Bosco Shimirwa Microbiology lab (UR – College of Sceince and Technology)
9.Atwine Ambrose (Food Microbiology Laboratory-MUK)
10. Janvier Uwayezu University of Rwanda,  Molecular Biology laboratory
11. Constance Kaggwa (WQMD) NWSC /Micro biology Section. Kampala Uganda.
12. Joan Chepkemei Koech,, Biological Sciences Laboratory. University of Eldoret, Kenya
13. Caku Semi Aliobe. NWSC Central Laboratory (chemistry) Kampala Uganda
14. Agatha Nabateregga NWSC Central Laboratory (chemistry) Kampala Uganda
15. Bayo Robert  National Water and Sewerage Corporation (Chemistry) Kampala, Uganda.
16. Namulinda Sandra NWSC (Chemistry lab) Kampala Uganda.
17. Erodi Abraham NWSC (Chemistry lab) Kampala Uganda.

INPUT

COMSTECH
program for training of technical personnels

https://www.comstech.org/comstech-program-for-training-of-technical-personnels/

Output

Achieved outpur 2021

  1. The network is formally etsablished under HR&S and benefits from the HR&S webpage.
  2. Name agreed on.
    HR&S Network of Technicians in Sub-Sahara Africa
  3. WhatsApp Chat group established.
  4. Management team established.
  5. Team of members launched.
  6. An application for travel grant from OPCW to arrange a arrange a three day workshop drafted.

  7. The visit preparations John, Moses and Mariam developed a draft application document to OPCW.
    Outcome Challenges the members are not responding to share their travelling documents.

Progress marker

  1. Number of approved travel grants.
    Leven ONE: Two per year
  2. Staff exchange and training.
  3. External reference samples analyzed.

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligible members have passed the exam in an HR&S training event and has a certificated.