Successful international cooperation strategies: Training and capacity building of healthcare personnel at the National Health School of Rosso in Mauritania

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity, both globally and in Mauritania, for nursing professionals to possess therequired knowledge and skills that enable them to ensure careacross diverse healthcare settings, including hospitals and com-munity-based services where their interventions take place. Since2020, as part of the International Training of Trainers Program, aproject has been initiated to enhance healthcare personnel training in several African countries, with particular focus on Mauri-tania. Strategically located just 100 km off the African coast, theCanary Islands serve as a global knowledge hub for this project,attracting mentors from prestigious national and internationalinstitutions, as well as Canary Islands experts and trained African professionals, especially from the Sub-Saharan region. Thispaper presents the successful experience of the program at theRosso School of Public Health as an exemplary model of multiactor training and cooperation, involving diverse institutions andmechanisms of aid and financing.In Mauritania, the teaching of nursing and midwifery competencies and skills falls upon the National Health Schools, which facelimitations in both material resources and teaching staff. The shortage of specialized personnel in the country, coupled withdemands for improvement in available resources for nursing andmidwifery education and continuous training, has generated theneed for cooperation and support. The objective is to enhance thetechnical and technological knowledge and skills of healthcareprofessionals through training both in Mauritania and in hospitaland academic institutions in the Canary Islands. Subsequently, itis expected that they will apply and disseminate this knowledge,as well as implement the acquired skills in their respective countries and healthcare centers of origin.