Training, unsurprisingly, plays a crucial role in the Unit’s day to day concerns and enjoys the highest priority. Activities range from a wide variety of in-house training programmes for local and support staff through to provision of an extensive array of qualifications from diploma level through to BSc, MSc and PhD degrees. Clinical training is provided at all levels from medical students on their electives through to clinicians taking the finals of the Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians. Recently, we have strengthened strategic development of training and staff development through the appointment of a dedicated professional for training.

The Unit has, since 2002, been implementing a locally adapted version of ‘Investors in People’, and presently spends around 10% of its recurrent expenditure budget on direct training activities for its staff.  It also devotes considerable resources to supporting science and clinical training at the University of the Gambia.

As part of the last quinquennial submission MRC Gambia presented a core training proposal designed to meet the basic training requirements for the achievement of its mission.  Building on our activities to date this focuses on professional development pathways and collaborative links to achieve its aims.  The key pathway, for biomedical sciences, translates the MRC vision to develop a school leaver with a strong interest in science, in time, into an international scientist.  The vision has now become a reality as opportunities are available at each step of the pathway.

The Unit has also made significant progress is building excellent support services with the full recognition of the essential nature of these in underpinning our research activities. Professionalisation of finance and purchasing, HR, IT, database management and biomedical engineering is now commonplace, with staff at all levels having achieved or working towards internationally recognised qualifications.  

On a broader, organisational development, front the Unit values self-scrutiny and is adapting internal processes to, not only practice but demonstrate publicly, its good clinical practice.  Selected staff are leading the process and being equipped with the requisite skills, including UK training, to manage the implementation of ‘quality management’.   

In summary, capacity building has extended beyond the boundaries of science to include the whole of the Unit’s concerns.