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The CCM yesterday held a day-long forum at the Paradise Suites Hotel to raise awareness on the work of the CCM and poverty reduction.
Speaking on the occasion, Matilda Bouye, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, Social Welfare and National Assembly Matters, said the Global Fund recognizes that only through a country-driven, coordinated and multi-sector approach involving all relevant partners will additional resources have a significant impact on the reduction of infections, illness and death from these diseases.
According to her, a variety of actors must be involved in the development of proposals and decisions on the allocation and utilization of Global Fund financial resources.
To achieve this, she added, global fund experts grant proposals to be coordinated among a broad range of stakeholders, each with unique skills background and experience through a CCM and that the CCM will monitor the implementation of approved proposals.
“It is in this respect that the Gambia CCM was established in response to requirements and recommendations of the Global Fund as an overall guiding body for the use of global fund resources in the country,” she stated.
“The current CCM composed of 35 seats filled by the representation from the 6 constituencies namely, Government and concerned ministries, private sector, civil society organization, academy and research institutions, multilateral and bilateral, faith-based organization and key affected population,” Bouye added.
She revealed that for the past 9 years, Global Fund grants have been supporting and still continue to support government efforts to fight the three diseases, Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS, underlying health systems by financing programs that complement other donors.
The Global Fund is the single largest donor for these three diseases with current approved grant of USD40 million to implement in the next three years.
Highlighting some of the major achievements of the Global Fund grants, Bouye stated among others, the general declined in malaria incidence in the country by 85.5% and admissions due to the fact that malaria has also dropped by 74% while malaria attributed deaths dropped by 90% in 2010.
Mod Secka, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Finance, who is also the chairman of CCM, said the success of the Global Fund grant in The Gambia relies on a strong and well-functional CCM with technical guidance of and collaboration with multi-sectoral partners, particularly the management and implementation of programs by in-country partners including government, civil society organizations, among others.
He added that the CCM, among others, oversee the performance of implementers to ensure that programs are progressing towards the proposal goals; that activities are implemented as planned, policies, procedures and conditions to grant implementation are met, recommendations are followed up, resources are used efficiently and effectively to reach the target beneficiaries and the CCM’s role in mitigating risk.
