Africa

The US$14 billion raised for the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment was aimed at stimulating $46 billion in domestic investment through co-financing. A new Global Fund policy will soon require countries to demonstrate domestic investment in key populations, necessitating more granular expenditure analysis. Teams from 10 African countries recently gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, to contemplate current challenges and future opportunities for HIV resource tracking.

ABSTRACT While successful in raising a large proportion of the hoped-for amount, there is nonetheless a shortfall from the $18 million originally hoped for, which may or may not be reached through later pledges. How then can we do the same or more with less money?

ABSTRACT Countries classified as having a challenging operating environment met in Lomé on 22 and 23 June to review the Global Fund's Challenging Operating Environment policy and discuss its operationalization in African countries. Numerous topics for discussion were identified by participants, and the conclusions of this meeting should enable country stakeholders to better understand this policy, identify its limitations in order to recommend changes, and draw up roadmaps to move them beyond additional safeguards.

ABSTRACT Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, face-to-face events have had to be replaced by online ones. It is much harder to engage people virtually and maintain their interest from a television screen or computer monitor. Yet this is exactly what SwitchPoint does. In 2020, IntraHealth International’s SwitchPoint team launched a series of SwitchPoint Virtual Exchanges: online, creative, and highly interactive gatherings. SwitchPoint Exchange events have taken place in Ghana, Japan, Rwanda, and the US—and now they’re taking place online, engaging young people in global health and supported by Gavi, the Global Fund and IntraHealth.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund has called for an African commission to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. We urge the African Union or a similar body to establish the ‘Commission on the Origins and Spread of COVID-19 in Africa’ to examine the continent’s preparedness to detect the outbreak and virus variants. The Commission can also help explain why Africa has, so far, reported a modest number of COVID-19 cases compared to its counterparts, and why some countries in the region were more affected than others. The findings of the Commission of Inquiry can then be used to inform preparedness for future pandemics and other public health emergencies.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund views parliamentarians as key influencers in encouraging governments to increase their spending on health. This is because their position and skill-set means that they are ideally placed to represent the views of interested parties and to influence decision-makers.

ABSTRACT Without a magic wand, no country will immediately be able to vaccinate very large numbers of people, and for developing countries, the hurdles between approval in the northern hemisphere and a jab in the arm in the ‘global south’ are infinitely more challenging. In this article that originally appeared in the Daily Maverick, Adele Sulcas, former editor of the Global Fund Observer, describes how the COVAX facility has boosted hope for developing countries to access the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available.

ABSTRACT A new report from ICASO published on January 8, 2019, highlights improvements in Malawi’s Global Fund program during the 2017-2019 funding cycle. The authors summarize the report’s findings for the GFO. The total funding requested for key and vulnerable populations rose dramatically, and service packages for these groups were defined in greater detail. According to the report, a broad and systematic community engagement process contributed to these positive changes. However, community monitoring initiatives are direly needed to ensure greater accountability during grant implementation.

ABSTRACT [By Gemma Oberth] This year, I wrote three Global Fund funding requests for African HIV and TB programs. Being that immersed in country-level processes evokes all kinds of thoughts and reflections. In this commentary, I share my views on the different proposal development processes, the value-added of technical assistance, the role of the Global Fund country teams and changes to the application materials. I also suggest that there is a dire need for user-friendly tools to assist countries with optimizing their budget allocations.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund has recently announced that its priorities for multi-country investments over the 2017-2019 funding cycle do not include HIV programs in Africa. This decision will affect eight current grants worth nearly $60 million, many of which have had less than two years of implementation. Activists have reacted to this decision, calling it “frustrating” and “irresponsible.” Many of the current multi-country investments have longer-term legal and policy change objectives, requiring sustained advocacy investments if they are to have lasting impact.