grant absorption

ABSTRACT More than 70% of Global Fund grants under the 2017-2019 allocation period ended by 31 December 2020. A September analysis by Aidspan had found that a sample of these grants had received only 82% of their total signed amounts for the grants. A follow-up analysis has found that these grants had received 92% of the funding by the end of the grant. While some grants had received most of their funds, others were lagging behind. The Global Fund will continue to disburse the remaining funding to implementers under certain conditions until June 2021, as one of its measures to safeguard in-country absorption.

ABSTRACT Global Fund implementer countries are not on track to spend grant-funds in the current allocation period. With three months left to the end of 70% of active grants, an analysis of a sample of implementer countries shows that only 82% of available funding has been disbursed. The countries will need to adopt more robust measures to improve absorption amid COVID-19.

ABSTRACT Most countries in West and Central Africa have consistently reported low rates of absorption of Global Fund grants in past allocation periods. An analysis of absorption and a comparison of actual disbursements with budgeted amounts, in 12 French-speaking African countries, suggest that countries are not likely to use their 2017-2019 allocation fully, although there are huge resource gaps. With only seven months of grant implementation left for most grants in this implementation cycle, the onus lies on the countries to address the bottlenecks to absorption within their contexts.

ABSTRACT At the September 2019 annual retreat of the Global Fund Implementer Voting Group in Dakar, Senegal, the group’s ten constituencies, including governments and communities- and civil-society delegations, discussed areas that had been identified as priorities for 2017-2019. These included how to improve the Implementer Group’s effectiveness, absorptive capacity, sustainability and transition, and human rights and gender equality. The retreat also included participants from the Secretariat, including the Global Fund’s Executive Director for some sessions.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund is on track to meet an 'absorptive capacity' target of 75% by 2022. However, some countries are still grappling to ensure that they spend their allocated funds within the agreed-upon timeframes. Absorption issues are especially evident for countries that are ‘challenging operating environments’, for less commoditized grants, and for government implementers. Challenges at the Global Fund Secretariat and implementer level often impede a country’s ability to spend all its funds.