Gabon's Experience: Factors Enabling and Impeding the COVID-19 Response

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Policy

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to global health systems.
• Country-level responses required adaptive strategies to manage evolving public health crises.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document Gabon's country-level experience and response to the COVID-19 pandemic from December 2020 to December 2022.
• To analyze the effectiveness of Gabon's pandemic response using a participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework.
• To identify key factors influencing the reduction of new COVID-19 cases and overall response efficacy.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach detailing Gabon's COVID-19 response structured as an action cycle (engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation).
• Implementation of a participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) process in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
• Systematic stakeholder reflection ('sensemaking') to analyze emerging data and identify response facilitators and barriers.

Main Results:

• The M&E system facilitated the organization and interpretation of data on COVID-19 case evolution and response activities.
• Participatory evaluation identified specific factors contributing to the reduction of new cases.
• Key enablers and impediments to Gabon's pandemic response were systematically identified through stakeholder engagement.

Conclusions:

• Gabon's experience provides valuable lessons for managing public health emergencies.
• Participatory M&E is crucial for adaptive management of rapidly evolving health crises.
• The findings offer practical implications for decision-makers and practitioners responding to future pandemics.