Cluster Randomised Trial in Ethiopia: Key stakeholder meeting, Addis, Ethiopia

A one-day meeting of key stakeholders in the upcoming research on community management of at-risk mothers and infants under six months (cMAMI) in Ethiopia was held in Addis Ababa on October 9, 2019 co-hosted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Jimma University, GOAL, and the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN). A series of presentations on the MAMI approach, the proposed research, the policy environment and the Ethiopian context set the scene for working groups and plenary discussion throughout the day. Participants identified barriers and opportunities related to the research implementation in Ethiopia and key considerations for the formative research phase. Overall, the three top barriers and opportunities identified were the stretched health system capacity (barrier), the strong political will/policy environment/leadership in Ethiopia (opportunity), and that this research fills both local and global evidence gaps (opportunity).