The planned technical support facility (DATP) in Mauritania – A unique technical assistance mechanism
On January 25, 2021 in Nouakchott, Dr. Moktar Cheikh Baye, President of the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism in Mauritania (CCM), Prof. Abdallahi Ould Sidi Aly, Executive Secretary of the National AIDS Committee’s Executive Secretariat (SENLS), and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Ms. Dr. Ba Halima Yaya, signed a partnership agreement with Expertise France, with a view to establishing the Planned Technical Support Facility (DATP), in the presence of representatives from AFD and the French Embassy in Nouakchott.
This mechanism is the result of nearly two years of development and discussions between the CCM, SENLS, the Ministry of Health, and the L’Initiative team. Over one year, eight experts will take turns working with the teams of the three Mauritanian partners to:
- Improve the management and implementation of activities associated with the three pandemics;
- Support to improve the structure of civil society organizations and their involvement in their response to the three pandemics;
- Support around health systems strengthening
L’Initiative in Mauritania
L’Initiative’s mission is to help countries asking for support with preparing their Global Fund funding requests or to improve the efficiency of these grants. Since 2017, L’Initiative has committed more than 900,000 Euros to technical assistance, of which nearly 50% is related to cross-cutting support for strengthening health systems (HSS). The DATP is, therefore, an extension of L’Initiative’s investment into HSS in Mauritania in the long term, which also gives it new scope: to go beyond the classic one-off support, to provide a comprehensive approach, with support in several areas for all stakeholders involved in implementing the grant at the country level through ongoing access to a dedicated expert.
In addition to technical assistance assignments, L’Initiative also funds projects that complement Global Fund programs. It funds the NGO “SOS Pairs Educators” to the tune of 250,000 Euros to set up a combination HIV prevention program at the regional level through non-clinical and community testing. This involves building the capacity of local civil society organizations (CSOs) and rolling out community testing in an organized way through CSOs and public facilities responding to HIV and AIDS. The project was launched in October 2019 and will last three years. Finally, other regional projects support Mauritania’s efforts in the health sector, such as the Association des Centrales d’Achats des Médicaments Essentiels’s project to strengthen the Mauritanian purchasing agency.
A strengthened partnership between the France team and Mauritania
The L’Initiative team would like to thank the Mauritanian health authorities for their trust, as well as the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Embassy, who believed in this new system and gave it their support. This will make it possible to expand and strengthen the work of the AFD Group, who are already very involved in the health sector in Mauritania, in particular through the Temeyouz project. With funding of 6.9 million, this project aims to improve primary health care and maternal and child health in Nouakchott and in five regions in the southeast of the country. Project management is carried out by the Ministry of Health and with coordination by Expertise France.
Expertise France is pleased to be working alongside the authorities for this new phase of collaboration with multiple focus areas, which ultimately aims to improve access to health services for all in Mauritania.
