A conversation with Edgar Lusaya, Country Project Director, MTaPS Tanzania

What is your role for MTaPS?

I’m responsible for coordinating and managing all activities for the program in Tanzania and am the technical lead on project activities focusing on infection prevention and control and optimizing the use of antimicrobials, including antimicrobial stewardship. I’m also responsible and accountable for the development, regular updating, and implementation of the country work plan and budget to ensure attainment of the program’s goals and objectives in line with the project’s mandate and approaches.

What excites you about this project?

The participatory project design and implementation. Activities were carefully designed to reflect country needs and priorities. MTaPS is quite unique in Tanzania unlike other projects, where one would find many partners working on the same area, sometimes duplicating efforts.

If a genie could give you three wishes for the future of global health, what would you ask for? Capacity building in the area of maternal, newborn and child health; health information systems strengthening; and pharmaceutical systems strengthening.

What’s the last country you visited, and what did you like most about it?

I visited the United States. I enjoyed seeing various nationalities in the Arlington office working together toward achieving the MSH vision. A visit to Washington DC will continue to be in my memory; I was excited to see the Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln monuments, and the people from many nations there witnessing the cherry blossoms.