Since September 2023, RESADE has been evaluating the Minimal Digital Ecosystem deployed in the pilot phase in the Ziniaré and Ténado health districts. On September 19, 2025, the structure organized a café-débate on the main results of the evaluation carried out over the past two years. The workshop, held in Ouagadougou, brought together players from the Ministry of Health (central level, DRS/ DS), representatives of partner NGOs (Thinkwell, TdH), as well as journalists from the print and audiovisual media. After a summary presentation of the evaluation results, the participants reflected in depth on the obstacles and levers to the successful and sustainable implementation of the EDM, presented as a “silent revolution” due to its potential progressive and lasting impact on the healthcare system, yet hardly perceptible to the “lambda” citizen.
The discussions highlighted a number of major achievements noted by the operational players: EDM’s contribution to improving the availability, quality and speed of data, better traceability of financial flows, more efficient management of medicines.
However, major challenges remain. These include technical problems making the tools unstable, poor internet connectivity and power cuts limiting the use of the tools, low appropriation of the tools sometimes linked to the low digital literacy of the players, and the increased workload due to the use of several digital tools by certain players on the one hand, and the concomitant use of digital and paper on the other. Supervision and technical support mechanisms remain weak, leading to variable results depending on the commitment of managers and the level of spontaneous receptiveness of players. The inadequacy of human resources in some health facilities and the lack of ongoing training, shortcomings in governance (management of SMCs, integrated supervision and financial monitoring), disparities in approaches and failure to adhere to deployment schedules were also mentioned. However, RESADE pointed out that previous surveys have focused on analyzing the perceptions of operational players, and that the forthcoming fifth survey will take into account central-level players and use more quantitative data extracted from digital tools.
In order to consolidate what has already been achieved, a number of strategic issues have been identified. These include strengthening system interoperability to reduce the number of tools used, developing appropriate training courses with close support to guarantee greater appropriation, securing funding by mobilizing the Ministry and partners to a greater extent, consolidating local and regional governance to ensure rigorous monitoring, and strengthening community awareness to encourage buy-in. Documentation and impact assessment also remain essential to guide future expansion, including the transition to the Centre National d’Intelligence Sanitaire (CeNIS).
