France’s second method of contribution to the Global Fund, this initiative is aimed at meeting the needs of French-speaking countries in terms of high-level technical expertise aiding the design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and the impact measure of grants allocated by the Global Fund. Its objective is to strengthen the health impact of these grants, notably for the mobilisation of French and French language expertise.
The Mérieux Foundation will thus have the task of developing and writing a funding project for the strengthening of the capacities of Niger, Benin, Guinea-Conakry and Togo’s national laboratories and the inter country laboratory network (Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin, Guinea, Niger and Togo). These seven countries make up the priority countries of the ’5% Initiative’ and are all beneficiaries of the Global Fund programmes.
Co-financed by the Mérieux Foundation, this project is part of the sustaining and extension of the West African Laboratory Network RESAOLAB. RESAOLAB was introduced at the demand of health ministers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal. It is coordinated by the Mérieux Foundation and co-financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). This project aims at improving the state of the population’s health (notably with regards to mothers and children, HIV / AIDS infection, Tuberculosis and Malaria) through the support of laboratories. The Foreign and European Affairs Minister, as well as the World Health Organization and the West African Health Organization, are actively involved.
A conference is planned in September 2012 at Les Pensières Conference Centre in Annecy in order to share, with stakeholders, the results of the evaluation project and the recommendations for future projects implementation.