The Ministry of Health through the Ghana Health Service, University of Ghana School of Nursing and Midwifery (UG_SONM), and the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing have signed a partnership agreement to begin Phase II of the Ghana Nurse Leaders Program (GNLP) which aims at improving nursing and midwifery practice in Ghana as well as empowering nurses and midwives to be agents of change. The 2-year program (1^st January, 2019 to 31^st December, 2020) will be coordinated jointly by the Acting Dean of the University of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Prof. Lydia Aziato and Ghana Health Service’s Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services, Mrs. Eva Mensah. 

GNLP Phase II Team Meeting. (From left): Prof. Lydia Aziato, Mrs. Eva Mensah,

Prof. Kwame Offei, Dr. Robin Klar, Prof. Daniel Ofori, Dr. Kerry Stalonas and Mr. Benedict Fosu Adjei.

The Ghana Nurse Leaders Program is one of three programs (Women's Social Leadership Program, Ghanaian Institute for the Future of Teaching and Education of Women's Fellowship Program and Ghana Nurse Leaders Program) under the Ghana Wins! Project established by the Fundacion Mujeres Por Africa (Africa Foundation for Women) with funding from the Banco Santander, Spain; through the New York University (NYU) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the University of Ghana.

Phase I of the Ghana Nurse Leaders Program focused on using change management to improve priority challenges affecting the nursing and midwifery services nationwide. Three (3) cohorts of thirty-three (33) nurse managers from all 10 administrative regions in Ghana, three (3) Teaching Hospitals and the Military Hospital were offered training on leadership and organizational change. Over the course of the training, the nurse leaders designed, executed and reported on a change projects in their healthcare settings, culminating in 28 change projects across the country.

Building on the successes and lessons of Phase I, the GNLP Phase II will include the regional nursing and midwifery leadership of the GHS who will supervise the change project from its inception to completion. Their involvement will complement the monitoring and evaluation of the project and promote ownership at the GHS Regional Health Directorate level. The change project focus will also address each region’s identified health priority in order to improve the quality of nursing and midwifery practice.  The major education and training components include NYU- faculty-led trainings and UG_SONM coaching support in both Accra, Ghana and New York, USA. The unique components of Phase II are: regular Change Project Monitoring and Evaluation, involvement of regional nursing/midwifery experts in priority area of change as well as formation of Change Leadership Teams including the regional Chief Nursing Officers to ensure ownership at the various facilities and levels of the Ghana Health Service as well as active involvement of coaches from the SONM, University of Ghana. 

Signing the MOU at the Office of the Pro-VC (ASA), Prof Kwame Offei, University of Ghana

With these initiatives, the GNLP phase II hopes to cultivate a national network of nurse leaders with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to utilize data in designing, implementing, and sustaining change projects that address pressing nursing/midwifery care needs in hospital and community settings. The implementing partners and project coordinators are confident that the GNLP will offer system strengthening in nursing and midwifery leadership and governance; thereby improving nursing and midwifery service outcomes. It is the hope that the successes of this project will lead to the development of a nursing leadership curriculum with special emphasis on change management in Ghana. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Kwame Offei, signed on behalf of the University of Ghana and Dr. Robin Klar signed for the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing.