About Africa Constituency Bureau
The African Constituency Bureau (Bureau) brings together the two African Constituencies represented at the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). The two constituencies represent 47 African Countries that are recipients of Global Fund support for HIV, TB and Malaria control. Our focus is on tackling health policy challenges that are preventing Africa from ending the epidemics. Most importantly, the Bureau provides the 46-member countries and the respective constituency delegations with access to top-notch technical support in analyzing and identifying solutions to critical global and regional issues around resilient and sustainable systems for health.
ACB History
Discussions on the establishment of the African Constituency Bureau (ACB) date as far back as the year 2012 when the two major Global Fund (GF) constituencies – Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) and West and Central Africa (WCA) – came together and developed the governance framework paper detailing how they were to operate and govern themselves. The framework provided for the establishment of the African Constituency Bureau for the Global Fund so that it could serve as a technical resource center for these two constituencies. The (ACB) was thus officially launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the 6th of May 2017. The formation of the Bureau is in firm recognition of the opportunities the Global Fund (GF) and its mechanisms has continued to provide to the African continent to save millions of lives. Although the GF is participatory in its operations, the African voices were not adequately heard in global health discussions
How ACB Works
For purposes of Board representation, the Global Fund has grouped stakeholders into twenty (20) constituencies with each constituency represented by a Board Member and an alternate Board Member. Ten constituencies are implementer constituencies and two of these two represent the 47 recipient countries in Africa, namely, the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) and West and Central Africa (WCA) constituencies
Africa's Representatives
Board Members
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Africa
Pr. Pascal Niamba, WCA Incoming Board Member (2020-2022) (2018-2020)
Pascal Antoine Niamba is a professor of dermatology and venereology at universities in Burkina Faso, and the head of the Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties of the Health Sciences Training and Research Unit at OUAGA University. Dr. Niamba has chaired the Country Coordinating Mechanism in Burkina Faso since 2015.
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Africa
Major General (Dr.) Gerald Gwinju, ESA Outgoing Alternate Board Member (2018-2020)
Outgoing and incoming alternate board member, ESA, 2016-2018 and 2018-2020 is passionate about public health management and draws on his experience as brigadier general presiding over military health services in Zimbabwe. “By the end of my 2018-2020 tenure, I hope there will be a stronger appreciation of the current challenges developing countries face in terms of health delivery systems,” Major General (Dr.) Gwinji said. “I also hope to motivate member states to increase their support for the general health delivery systems, including community system strengthening.”
Major General (Dr.) Gwinji is the permanent secretary of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care. A medical doctor by profession, Gwinji specializes in public health and, as a brigadier general presiding over military health services in Zimbabwe, he’s s enjoyed a long career in public health management.
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Africa
Dr. Kebede Worku, Outgoing Board Member for ESA, (2018-2020)
is the current State Minister of Health, Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. He hopes to work with other members to strengthen systems aimed at eradicating all three diseases by 2030. “I am inspired by excellent work done by the Global Fund around the world. During my term, I will focus on putting the African Constituencies on the right trajectory to end HIV, tuberculosis and malaria as public health threats by 2030,” Dr. Worku said. “This will entail enhancing health and community systems and developing flexible and innovative programs specific to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in the African Constituencies. This also requires systematic engagement with local governments and communities and smart partnership with international donors and private philanthropies.” Dr. Worku earned his medical degree from Addis Ababa University. In addition to serving as a Board Member for ESA for the 2018-2020 term, Dr. Worku is the Alternate Chair of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB & Malaria Country Coordinating Mechanism – Ethiopia. He also represents the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia as a Signatory of Malaria, TB & HSS grants. Dr. Worku has served as general practitioner; the Head of West Hararghe Zone Health Office, Oromia Regional State; and he is the current State Minister of Health with the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia.
