Theory of Change for Supply Chain Capacity Development: A Framework for Strengthening National Supply Chains

The recent Ebola crisis in West Africa highlighted the weaknesses in health systems in the countries that were affected, but they are not the only ones with weak health systems – many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, suffer the same problems. As we move into the Sustainable Development Goals era and in order to achieve sustainable improvements in the health supply chain, international development organisations will need to think seriously about their investment in capacity-building initiatives and the significant change they desire, as well as the impact of that change and how it will be measured. Programmes seeking to strengthen supply chain systems fail without a clear game plan. What does success look like? What capacities need to be built? What, in essence, is the theory of change? It is important that those supporting governments to strengthen their supply chains or supporting them through political, policy or financial decisions understand the basic flows and enablers that make a health supply chain operational and how to maximise capacity development investment accordingly. Accordingly, this book describes a holistic and practical approach to formulating strategies for strengthening national-level supply chain systems in a sustainable manner.