Resources for a NIPN

Capacity strengthening

In the first phases of NIPN, there is a strong need to strengthen the capacity of institutions and individuals to implement the NIPN operational cycle.
Specific modalities and dedicated resources for strengthening existing capacity need to be defined. Guidance on how to assess capacity gaps and develop a specific NIPN capacity building plan is provided in section 1.3.

One of the modalities for strengthening capacity is the recruitment of full-time or part-time technical assistants embedded within NIPN policy and data components.

Financial resources

Each country requires dedicated investment for setting up a NIPN, therefore specific financial resources to support this process must be identified. A detailed budget should be prepared and agreed by the partner organisations.

In the framework of the EU-led NIPN initiative, the countries benefited from financial support from the European Union, the UK Department for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A typical NIPN budget for these countries was around 3 million euros for a three to four year period, to support project staff, advocacy and awareness raising, capacity building, hardware and software investments, as well as technical assistance at country level. The donors have also funded a global support facility providing technical support to all NIPN countries.