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The Micronutrient Initiative launches a Rapid
Results Initiative in Kenya
As part of its commitment to the Fortifying Africa's Future
(FORTAF) initiative the Micronutrient Initiative (MI) recently assisted the
National Fortification Alliance (NFA) in Kenya to launch a Rapid Results
Initiative focused on the creation of a certification and logo system for
Vitamin-A fortified fats and oils. Following a highly successful stakeholder's
alignment meeting, the team responsible for implementing the RRI was launched
in Nairobi on 6th and 7th September 2006.
Developed by Robert H
Schaffer and Associates, the Rapid-Results Approach is a structured
process to help leadership groups mobilise teams to engage in this
way-achieving results and learning as they go-in successive waves of 100-day
Rapid-Results Initiatives (RRIs). Each RRI aims to achieve a meaningful
and challenging result. And each wave of RRIs is designed to generate new
insights about longer-term goals, strategies, plans, and policies. Robert
Schaffer & Associates are the consultants running the Kenyan fortification
RRI.
The stakeholders alignment meeting held prior to the launch
brought together key stakeholders in the fortification movement. The meeting
was attended by forty critical staff from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS),
the Ministry of Health, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the United
Nations and the three major edible oil producers in Kenya namely Bidco Oil,
Pwani Oil and Kapa Oil. The fact that so many high level people took time out
of their busy schedules to debate the issues around fortification and to give
of their knowledge and experience has certainly set the RRI process up for
success.
The stakeholder's workshop was followed by the launch of the RRI
team. The RRI team is highly representative and includes representatives of the
KEBS, the Ministry of Health, KEMRI and the private sector. The agreed goal of
the RRI is to have at least three fully certified edible oil or fat brands
selling on the shelves in Kenya within 100 days. In operational terms, this
means the creation of standards for adding Vitamin A to oil, a certification
regime and the actual testing of products. Products that meet these criteria
will be awarded a logo designed for the fortification programme. The RRI team
developed a work plan at the launch which focuses activities, assigns
responsibilities and establishes timelines in order to meet the 16th December
2006 deadline. Although this is a highly ambitious goal, the rigorous
requirements of the RRI process itself combined with the experience and passion
of the members of the RRI team are sure to make this a success.
Originally it was intended to launch a second RRI focusing on a
social marketing campaign for the products, although the key stakeholders have
decided to begin this process once the first RRI is complete. It was a widely
held belief that the effectiveness of any social marketing campaign would be
increased if it incorporated the lessons learned from the first RRI. In the
interim, the NFA is working hard on tools that can be utilised to increase the
profile of the logo being developed in the first RRI.
The project profile, RRI work plan and photos of the launch are
available under this section of the Fortaf website. |
