Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) poses a critical global public health threat and is currently addressed through Commonwealth Pharmacists Association(CPA) initiatives. Pharmacists occupy a strategic position to direct AMS strategies that promote the judicious utilization of antimicrobials; nevertheless, these efforts are often impeded by a recognized deficiency in health leadership capabilities. Drawing insights from the Continuing professional development (CPD) Fellowship scheme in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth Partnerships in Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) aims to establish a health leadership capacity-building framework for pharmacists across eight sub-Saharan African nations. Consequently, this investigation examines the demand-driven leadership competencies required of pharmacists to deliver efficient AMS, thereby informing the CPA's formulation of a dedicated leadership curriculum, the "Commonwealth Partnerships in AMS, Health Leadership Programme" (CwPAMS/LP). A mixed-methods research design was implemented. Quantitative information was gathered through a multi-country survey administered across 8 sub-Saharan African nations and evaluated using descriptive statistics. Qualitative insights were derived from 5 online focus group sessions conducted between February and July 2021, featuring stakeholder pharmacists from diverse professional domains across the 8 target countries; these data underwent thematic analysis. The quantitative and qualitative findings were subsequently triangulated to identify the essential focal domains for the training curriculum. The quantitative assessment yielded 484 completed survey questionnaires, while the qualitative focus groups comprised 40 participants representing the 8 participating nations. Data synthesis demonstrated an explicit demand for a specialized health leadership curriculum, with 61% of those surveyed indicating that prior leadership development initiatives had been advantageous or highly advantageous. A subset of the survey cohort (37%) and the focus group participants emphasized the limited availability of leadership development options within their respective jurisdictions. Clinical pharmacy (34%) and health leadership (31%) emerged as the top two highest-ranking priority domains requiring subsequent training for pharmacy professionals. Within these designated sectors, strategic thinking (65%), clinical knowledge (57%), coaching and mentoring (51%), and project management (58%) were identified as the most vital competencies.This investigation underscores the professional development requirements of pharmacists and defines key focal areas in health leadership necessary to propel AMS forward within the African environment. Characterizing these priority domains based on local contexts facilitates a needs-oriented curriculum design, thereby optimizing the impact of African pharmacists on AMS to achieve enhanced, enduring patient outcomes. The findings suggest integrating conflict resolution, behavioral change methodologies, and professional advocacy, among other core subjects, into training modules to prepare pharmacy leaders to advance AMS initiatives efficiently.
