Several members of the STOP2030 consortium participated in the 2026 Annual Meeting of NTD Programme Managers in Africa, held in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 13 to 16 April. The meeting, organised under the theme “Leveraging Innovative Tools and Sustainable Financing to Advance NTD Elimination in Africa,” is one of the most important gatherings for national NTD programme leaders across the continent.

The meeting’s programme included a session on opportunities for operational innovations with ivermectin and albendazole for STH control, with a focus on country perspectives. The session, chaired by Pauline Mwinzi, WHO Technical Officer for SCH & STH, featured presentations from two STOP2030 consortium members alongside a representative from Rwanda, a country exploring the use of ivermectin in its STH programme.

Stella Kepha, Principal Research Scientist at KEMRI, presented findings from clinical studies on the fixed-dose co-formulation (FDC) of ivermectin and albendazole. Joseph Opare, NTD Programme Manager at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), shared implementation experiences with the medicine, as well as the recent approval of the FDC by the Ghana FDA, which made it the first country in the world to register it for clinical use. Ladislas Nshimiyimana, NTD Research Senior Officer at Rwanda’s Biomedical Centre, presented Rwanda’s experience with ivermectin and albendazole in its national STH programme.

A poster on programme readiness in Ghana and Kenya

The STOP2030 consortium also presented a research poster at the meeting. Titled “Strengths and Weaknesses of National Neglected Tropical Diseases Programmes – A Case Study of Ghana and Kenya,” the poster was presented by Joseph Opare and authored by researchers from GHS, KEMRI, Bridges to Development and Mundo Sano.

The poster highlights results from a study based on interviews and focus group discussions with programme implementers, school officials and caregivers to understand the operational realities of NTD programmes in Kenya and Ghana. Among the findings: the perceived benefits of strong multi-stakeholder collaboration and well-established delivery structures. Also, both countries experience similar challenges, including inconsistent funding, drug shortages and limited human resources. Stakeholders in both Ghana and Kenya expressed positive expectations about the FDC, highlighting the improved efficacy, broader species coverage and the reduced pill burden.

These insights are valuable for the STOP2030 consortium, as we work not only on the clinical development of the FDC, but also on understanding what it will take to introduce it successfully into national programmes.