Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank have recently approved a sum of US$127 million to improve the quality of health services in Cameroon, with a focus on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) and nutrition services.
This funding includes a US$100 million International Development Association (IDA) credit, and a US$27 million grant from the Global Financing Facility (GFF) Trust Fund.
The project will support the progressive national scale-up of the Performance Based Financing (PBF) program as well as implementation of other high-impact interventions supported by the GFF.
With coverage at 25 percent of the population in 2016, the operation would support a gradual scale-up of an additional 20 percent of the population per year between 2017 and 2020. During the first phase of the extension (2016-2018), the operation will focus on scaling up to the remaining 36 districts in the three northern regions of Cameroon (Far North, North, and Adamawa) to address the urgent and growing needs in those regions.
Women, adolescents and children under 5, as well as displaced and refugee populations affected by insecurity in the region, will benefit from the interventions. The project includes two components that aim to improve performance of the health sector: (i) Strengthening of Health Service Delivery; and (ii) Institutional Strengthening for Improved Health System Performance.
The GFF-supported interventions will have a multi-sectoral approach and improve both health and nutrition outcomes through investing in social protection and education as well as health. Priorities have been identified through the evidence-based and consultative processes now close to completion (and documented in the GFF Investment Case). In line with the general GFF approach, this includes both RMNCAH interventions, cross-cutting systems interventions, and support to civil registration and vital statistics.
The Global Financing Facility is a multi-stakeholder partnership that supports country-led efforts to improve the health of women, children and adolescents by acting as an innovative financing pathfinder. The GFF Trust Fund is a multi-donor trust fund that leverages additional financing for RMNCAH by linking grant funding to IDA financing.
