Crown Agents USA (CA-USA) is proud to continue its partnership with the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) on the Indoor Residual Spraying 2 (IRS 2) project, awarded in October 2009. Since 2006, CA-USA has assisted in the dramatic reduction of malaria deaths in Africa through the procurement of insecticide, spray pumps, protective clothing, and vehicles worth over $20 million to date.
The collaborative planning process for IRS 2 started when CA-USA was invited to present an overview of the supply chain innovations developed for IRS at the first Pan African Vector Control Conference in Tanzania in October 2009. CA-USA's IRS Project Manager delivered a paper on the procurement and delivery innovations that have been developed for the IRS project and focused on the importance of partnerships with our donors, implementing partners, vendors and in-country clients.
The project team in Nairobi consists of the Project & Procurement Manager and the Logistics Manager who work in close partnership with Crown Agents' offices throughout Africa to provide logistical support to the IRS project. Additional services provided include the competitive bidding of the clearing and forwarding agents for each of these countries. The IRS 2 IQC currently encompasses 13 geographically diverse Africa countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, and Zambia.
Achievements of the IRS 1 and IRS 2 project to date include the following:
- 2007: Procurement and delivery of insecticide, protective clothing, and spray pumps to the RTI IRS project offices in Senegal, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Payroll support for local workers conducting the spray operations was affected in Kenya and Mozambique.
- 2008: Procurement and delivery of insecticide, protective clothing, and spray pumps to Ghana, Benin, Mali, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, and Zambia. In Ethiopia, CA-USA and Crown Agents Ethiopia staff also provided engineering expertise to design and build waste water evaporation tanks for the project. Payroll support for local workers conducting the spray operations was effected in Kenya and Mozambique.
- 2009: Procurement and delivery of insecticide, protective clothing, and spray pumps to Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Mozambique, Angola, Rwanda, and Madagascar. Project vehicles were delivered to Senegal and Ghana. Payroll support for local workers conducting the spray operations was effected in Kenya and Mozambique. Additional evaporation tanks were constructed in Ethiopia, along with the renovation of the Adama Malaria Reference and Training Centre. In Mozambique, construction and engineering services were provided for the erection of evaporation tanks and warehouses in the Zambezia District.
- During the first half of 2010, CA-USA's IRS team completed vehicle deliveries to Rwanda and Mozambique. Procurement and delivery of insecticide, protective clothing, and spray pumps to the RTI IRS project offices in Benin, Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, Angola, and Zambia are complete, with deliveries to Madagascar underway.