The INTEGRATION consortium held its kick-off meeting on 22nd and 23rd November 2021 both in person at Hôtel l’Amitié, Bamako, Mali, and virtually.

The meeting was moderated by Mrs Adama Guindo (Communications, Public and Community Engagement Officer at USTTB) and it was attended by 56 participants, among them all consortium partners (from Burkina Faso, France, Italy, Mali and United Kingdom) and representatives from the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), the National Federation of Community Health Associations (FENASCOM) and the National Centre for Information, Education and Communication for Health (CNIECS). Dr Montserrat Blázquez-Domingo, EDCTP Senior Project Officer, also took part in the meeting.

The meeting opened with welcome notes from Prof. Kassoum Kayentao (Project Coordinator), Prof. Boubacar Traore (Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy, FAPH), Prof. Seydou Doumbia (Dean Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, FMOS), Prof. Ouaténi Diallo (Rector of the University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, USTTB) and Prof. Amadou Keita as Minister of Higher Education and Research of the government of Mali.

At the introductory session, Prof. Kassoum Kayentao gave an overview of the project, its objectives, and expectations.

The introductory session was followed by presentations from representatives of the different participating institutions, where each partner highlighted their roles and tasks, and provided updates on their plans towards the objectives of the project.

The main purpose of the meeting was to offer the opportunity to exchange knowledge and practices between the INTEGRATION researchers, stakeholders and policymakers, as well as to have a common understanding of the study and any key questions during the study implementation in the routine health systems in Burkina Faso and Mali.