Baidoa, Somalia — December 2025
On December 17–18, the Ministry of Health of Southwest State completed a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) to activate the next stage of its digital health partnership: operational deployment across frontline services.
The ToT establishes a state-based training and supervision layer that enables rollout at facility level—moving the program from configuration work into routine use by the frontline workforce across Southwest State.
Training Structure and Purpose
The ToT followed a deliberate cascade model designed for repeatable deployment and sustained supervision.
Day 1: Master ToT. The Ministry convened a core group of Ministry-designated master trainers, including policy and planning leadership, HMIS officers, and Ministry officials. Day 1 technical enablement was led by Najima Bawa (ThinkMD), with on-site delivery supervised by Anthony Woodland (Cleanport Ventures) alongside Ministry counterparts. Sessions focused on trainer readiness and consistent delivery—confirming workflow alignment and completing end-to-end practice using the ThinkMD-guided assessment pathway, including a full sample assessment walkthrough.
Day 2: Trainers lead Cohort 1. The cascade shifted immediately into execution. Ali Hilowle Ali, Head of Medical Technology & Telemedicine Section, Ministry of Health Somalia, led Cohort 1 training delivery alongside Ministry-designated trainers, reinforcing practical deployment considerations for clinical decision support in frontline settings. The second day reinforced the model's purpose: trainers are prepared not only to train, but to sustain deployment through ongoing facility support.
The core idea is simple: capacity is being embedded through a structured, repeatable training system that can be extended across regions and cohorts without restarting the implementation process each time.
A training participant works through a clinical assessment using the ThinkMD platform during Cohort 1 sessions
Cohort 1 Deployment Scope
Cohort 1 represents the first operational layer of the rollout.
The cohort was trained to support deployment across 22 facilities spanning Bakool, Bay, and Lower Shabelle regions. Facilities include a mix of primary health units (PHUs) and health centers, forming the initial service delivery network for operational use.
Cohort 1 includes a frontline cadre aligned to routine facility workflows—clinical nurses, in-charge nurses, midwives, and clinical officers—positioned to support consistent use at the point of care.
Cohort 1 participants included clinical nurses, midwives, and clinical officers from facilities across Southwest State
Roles and Governance
Implementation governance is structured to reinforce delivery accountability across the system.
Ministry of Health of Southwest State
- Convened the ToT and provided leadership across both days
- Opened and closed the sessions as the convening authority
- Designated trainers and aligned them to the deployment approach
- Assigned trainers to facilities and defined supervision arrangements
A key operational mechanism has been established: each trainer will be assigned three facilities within Southwest State for training and supervision responsibilities. This extends the cascade model into the field, with a defined structure for onboarding, mentorship, and quality support during rollout.
ThinkMD
- Provides the clinical decision support platform
- Delivered technical training support for trainer readiness and consistent use, led on-site by Najima Bawa
- Supported practice-based walkthroughs to align usage with real workflows
Cleanport Ventures
- Coordinated end-to-end delivery and logistics
- Supported partner alignment and rollout execution conditions
- Supervised on-site delivery and coordination, led by Anthony Woodland
National technical support
Ali Hilowle Ali supported cascade delivery and facilitated portions of Day 2, reinforcing consistency and practical deployment discipline as the program moves into facility routines.
Najima Bawa (ThinkMD), Ali Hilowle Ali (Ministry of Health Somalia), and Anthony Woodland (Cleanport Ventures) at the Southwest State ToT
Why This Matters Strategically
This milestone matters because it demonstrates workforce activation capacity—the practical ability to move from an agreed partnership into frontline execution.
First, it confirms workforce readiness. The system becomes operational when health workers can use it consistently and when trainer capacity exists to sustain onboarding and supervision. The cascade structure establishes that mechanism and extends it into facility coverage through defined trainer assignments.
Second, it creates a basis for scale across regions within Southwest State. The model is repeatable: master trainers are designated, Cohort 1 activates an initial facility layer, trainers are assigned supervision responsibility, and additional cohorts can be onboarded using the same delivery logic.
Third, it provides credible evidence of implementation capacity. This is not a demonstration cycle. It is a defined pathway from preparation to facility rollout, with supervision embedded and roles assigned.
Finally, the inclusion of national-level technical support strengthens deployment coherence by reinforcing consistent delivery standards and practical implementation discipline as the program expands across facilities and cohorts.
Looking Ahead
Following the ToT, the program moves into facility-level deployment with supervised use, anchored by the trainer-to-facility assignment model. Trainers will continue mentoring and onboarding support at their assigned sites, with structured supervision and monitoring integrated into the rollout approach.
Additional cohorts are planned to expand operational coverage across Southwest State, using the same cascade model to build training capacity, activate new facilities, and reinforce consistent use over time.
This is the posture of execution: structured rollout, supervised deployment, and a repeatable model that supports scale through an activated frontline workforce.
About the Partners
- Ministry of Health, Southwest State — The official health authority of Somalia's Southwest State, responsible for health governance, workforce development, and service delivery across public facilities.
- ThinkMD — A global digital health company providing clinical intelligence platforms that enable any health worker, anywhere, to deliver physician-level assessments and capture actionable health data in real time.
- Cleanport Ventures — An advisory and development firm operating at the intersection of diplomacy, finance, and infrastructure. Cleanport builds bridges that unlock global opportunity by guiding cross-border investment, designing regulatory frameworks, and facilitating public-private partnerships in frontier and emerging markets.