WHO African Region Opens Applications for 2026 Roster of Consultants on NTD Health Systems Integration

The World Health Organization (WHO) African Region has officially opened applications for its 2026 Roster of Consultants on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Health Systems Integration. This prestigious consultancy opportunity is designed for experienced public health and health systems professionals who are passionate about strengthening healthcare systems and advancing sustainable disease control strategies across Africa.

The consultancy roster will support the WHO Regional Office for Africa through the Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN). Selected experts may be called upon to provide technical assistance to countries across multiple domains including health financing, supply chain systems, integrated service delivery, digital health systems, surveillance, and health information management.

This is a major opportunity for global public health professionals, consultants, epidemiologists, health informatics experts, supply chain specialists, and health systems strengthening practitioners who want to contribute to large-scale health transformation initiatives in low- and middle-income countries.

About WHO ESPEN and the Initiative

The Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) is part of the Disease Prevention and Control Cluster within the WHO African Region.

ESPEN works to help African countries achieve the goals of the WHO NTD Roadmap 2021–2030 by supporting sustainable and country-led approaches to eliminating neglected tropical diseases.

The initiative focuses heavily on:

• Strengthening national health systems
• Improving integrated disease control strategies
• Enhancing surveillance systems
• Supporting health financing sustainability
• Integrating NTD programmes into routine healthcare systems
• Promoting data-driven decision-making
• Supporting community-centered healthcare interventions

As countries move away from standalone disease campaigns toward integrated national health systems, WHO is now seeking highly qualified consultants who can support this transition.

Purpose of the Consultant Roster

The main purpose of the roster is to create a pool of pre-qualified technical experts who can be rapidly deployed to support WHO Country Offices and national governments across Africa.

Consultants may support:

1. Country readiness assessments
2. Health systems integration planning
3. Technical implementation support
4. Monitoring and evaluation activities
5. Documentation of country experiences and best practices
6. Development of implementation tools and frameworks
7. Capacity building and technical training
8. Disease surveillance strengthening
9. Health financing and sustainability planning

Being included in the roster does not guarantee immediate employment, but it allows WHO to mobilize consultants quickly when country-specific assignments become available.

Areas of Technical Expertise Required

WHO is seeking experts across several specialized domains.

1. Supply Chain and Medicines Management

Consultants in this area may support:

• Integration of preventive chemotherapy medicines into national supply chain systems
• Alignment with national medicines policies and essential medicines lists
• Integration with electronic logistics management information systems (eLMIS)
• Monitoring stock management, wastage, expiry tracking, and reconciliation systems
• Strengthening campaign logistics and last-mile distribution systems

2. Health Information Systems and Digital Integration

WHO is particularly interested in professionals experienced in:

• DHIS2 implementation and optimization
• National HMIS integration
• Digital health interoperability
• Data governance systems
• Mapping NTD data flows within national health systems
• Alignment of NTD reporting systems with national digital health strategies

Consultants may work directly with Ministries of Health and WHO Country Offices to strengthen national digital health architecture.

3. Integrated Service Delivery

Experts may support:

• Integrated health campaign planning
• School-based and community-based service delivery models
• Primary healthcare integration
• Transition from campaign-driven models to routine healthcare delivery systems
• Multi-disease service delivery approaches

4. Integrated Disease Surveillance

This technical area focuses on:

• Integration of NTD surveillance into Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) systems
• Post-elimination surveillance frameworks
• Sentinel surveillance systems
• Use of routine health data for outbreak response and disease monitoring

5. Health Financing and Sustainability

Consultants may contribute to:

• National budgeting and planning integration
• Domestic resource mobilization strategies
• Sustainability planning for NTD interventions
• Donor transition strategies
• Financial analysis and policy development

Typical Consultancy Assignments

Selected consultants may be engaged in a wide range of short-term technical assignments including:

• Country readiness assessments
• Multi-country technical reviews
• Health systems mapping exercises
• Development of implementation roadmaps
• Capacity-building workshops
• Technical consultations and validation meetings
• Policy analysis and strategic planning
• Development of operational tools and frameworks
• Data analysis and reporting
• Knowledge product development
• Documentation of lessons learned and best practices

Assignments may be remote, in-country, or hybrid depending on programme requirements.

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements

Applicants should possess:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s level or higher) in:
  • Public Health
  • Health Systems
  • Epidemiology
  • Health Informatics
  • Pharmacy
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Or another related field

Equivalent combinations of education and professional experience may also be considered.

Professional Experience Requirements

Applicants must have:

• At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience
• Strong experience in health systems strengthening or public health programmes
• Experience working in low- and middle-income country settings
• Proven collaboration with Ministries of Health
• Experience supporting integration of disease-specific programmes into national systems

Experience in the following systems is highly valued:

• DHIS2
• HMIS
• eLMIS
• IDSR
• Integrated digital health systems

Desirable Qualifications

WHO also values applicants with:

• Experience working directly with NTD programmes
• Monitoring and evaluation expertise
• Multi-country or regional assessment experience
• Experience documenting country case studies and best practices
• Knowledge of preventive chemotherapy programmes
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills

Language Requirements

Essential

Applicants must demonstrate expert knowledge of at least one of the following languages:

• English
• French
• Portuguese

Desirable

Knowledge of additional UN official languages is considered an advantage.

WHO Core Competencies

Successful consultants are expected to demonstrate:

• Teamwork
• Communication skills
• Partnership building
• Respect for diversity and inclusion
• Results-oriented work ethic

Contract Duration and Work Modality

Key consultancy details include:

• Contract duration may vary between 1 and 11 months
• Engagements are deliverable-based
• Assignments may be:
  • Remote
  • In-country
  • Hybrid/blended

Remuneration will depend on the scope of work and available funding.

Important Deadline

Application Deadline: 6 July 2026

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early to avoid last-minute technical issues.

Important Notes for Applicants

• Inclusion in the roster does not guarantee a contract.
• WHO may use this roster to identify candidates for similar future consultancies.
• A written assessment may be conducted during screening.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• WHO strongly encourages applications from women and nationals of underrepresented Member States.
• WHO maintains strict ethical standards and zero tolerance for harassment or abuse.

Why This Opportunity Matters

This consultancy roster represents an important opportunity for experienced public health professionals to contribute directly to health systems transformation across Africa.

Selected experts may help countries:

• Improve healthcare delivery
• Strengthen surveillance systems
• Enhance access to medicines
• Build sustainable health financing systems
• Accelerate progress toward eliminating neglected tropical diseases

For professionals interested in global health consulting, health systems strengthening, digital health integration, epidemiology, or international public health policy, this WHO consultancy roster provides an exceptional platform to work on high-impact regional initiatives.

Learn More & Apply

Click HERE to learn more and apply for the WHO African Region Applications for 2026 Roster of Consultants on NTD Health Systems Integration.

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