Costing your National Action Plan
Costing a National Action Plan (NAP) is a critical step in turning strategy into implementation. It translates prioritized activities into detailed, time-bound resource requirements, helping governments understand what is needed, what is already funded, and where gaps remain. A robust costing process typically follows a bottom-up approach—breaking activities into measurable inputs, estimating unit costs and quantities, and consolidating these into a comprehensive budget. This process is iterative and supports prioritization, planning, and sustainable financing of AMR interventions. By linking technical priorities with financial planning, costing enables countries to develop realistic operational plans, mobilize resources, and monitor investments over time.
Costing National Action Plans
Costing is a central component of National Action Plan implementation. It provides a structured approach to estimate the resources required for prioritized activities, supports budgeting and financing decisions, and enables countries to identify funding gaps. Effective costing connects technical planning with financial realities, ensuring that interventions are feasible, scalable, and sustainable. It also supports the development of investment cases, strengthens advocacy, and improves coordination across sectors under a One Health approach.
DEVELOPING A COSTED OPERATION
Costing begins with a detailed operational plan. Activities must be clearly defined—who does what, when, and with what resources. Breaking down strategic actions into specific, measurable components ensures accurate cost estimation and realistic implementation planning.
BOTTOM-UP COSTING APPROACH
A bottom-up approach estimates costs by identifying all inputs required for each activity, including personnel, materials, equipment, and services. This method improves accuracy and transparency by building total costs from detailed activity-level data.
RESOURCE MAPPING & FUNDING GAPS
Costing helps identify existing financial resources and highlight funding gaps. By mapping available funding against required investments, countries can prioritize actions, mobilize additional resources, and strengthen budget advocacy.
BUILDING AN INVESTMENT CASE
National Action Plans provide comprehensive frameworks for healthcare policy implementation at the country level. They include detailed budgeting, resource allocation strategies, and impact forecasting to help governments prioritize health interventions effectively.
COSTING & BUDGETING TOOL
The WHO Costing and Budgeting Tool supports countries in estimating the cost of AMR NAP activities in a structured and flexible way. It enables users to input activities, define quantities and unit costs, and generate detailed outputs including total costs, funding gaps, and dashboards for decision-making.
Costing connects strategy with financing, enabling countries to prioritize interventions and strengthen long-term health system resilience.