Bringing the GFF to civil society in Francophone Africa

  • Atelier sur le GFF
Today, E4A-MamaYe, on behalf of the Global Civil Society Coordinating Group on the GFF, and in collaboration with the Coalition for Civil Society Organisations in Senegal, starts a three-day workshop on civil society engagement with the Global Financing Facility (GFF) in francophone countries.

Participants include global experts and civil society representatives from 10 countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mali, Madagascar, Rwanda, Senegal. 

This is the first time a tailored training on the GFF has been provided in the lingua franca of francophone African countries. For many, this will be their first formal opportunity to learn more about the GFF, how it aligns with national health and financing strategies and how they can engage and hold governments accountable for RMNCAH-N commitments.

Francophone Africa is home to some of the highest maternal and child mortality rates, yet language barriers limit citizens in these countries in having equitable access to the resources, knowledge and opportunities to advance the global health agenda.

Maty Dia, Workshop facilitator and member of the GFF Civil Society Coordination Group, continues: "If we are to achieve the sustainable development goals, and leave no one behind, we need to ensure that civil society in francophone countries understand how the Global health initiatives translate in their regional and national context to be able to meaningfully engage in these processes at national and global level."

With active participation from civil society representatives, the workshop will draw on country learnings throughout the GFF process. Burkina Faso will share how they engaged in the development of the investment case; the DRC will lead discussions on how decentralised countries can achieve meaningful and inclusive civil society participation; and Senegal will share how they have successfully amplified the voices of their constituents. The workshop will also include sessions on the budget cycle, monitoring, and accountability.

  • Interventions supported by the GFF result in improved RMNCAH outcomes at the country and global level.

Participants will be equipped with key tools and approaches relevant to operationalise civil society participation and coordination in the GFF at country level. Loaded on to USBs and available in print, these will include guidance on CSOs role in the budget process, health financing factsheets, budget guides, glossaries of terms and key GFF documents cheat sheet. For many, this will be the first time they receive tailored evidence products and tools around the GFF in a language they can understand and use to enhance their advocacy efforts and improve accountability around RMNCAH-N.

Follow us @E4AMamaYeAfrica and look for the workshop twitter handle #OSCsxGFF throughout this week to hear more about the workshop as it happens!

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