Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Estelle Shirbon
A panel at the Global Fund to fight AIDS said in a letter obtained by Reuters on Wednesday it will recommend terminating two five-year grants after they have run for only two years. The grants are worth a total $80 million over the five years.
"Serious concerns have been raised about grant implementation and the ability of the principal recipient to achieve the goals of the grants," said the letter from Global Fund headquarters in Geneva.
The principal recipient is Nigeria's National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), the body responsible for channelling aid to projects and coordinating Nigeria's response to HIV/AIDS.
Africa's most populous country ranks third in the world after India and South Africa in terms of numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Charities have complained about a lack of transparency on where AIDS money goes in several African countries.
Most donors prefer to give money to non-governmental organizations, seen as less corrupt and more efficient than governments. Even so, activists say not enough aid money gets to the people who need it most.
A NACA spokesman said it had responded to all the issues raised by the Global Fund letter, which called for further information that could make the review panel change its mind about terminating the grants.
"All that was demanded has been done ... NACA has taken all the requested issues and answered the questions and we're hoping that they're satisfied with it," said spokesman Sam Archibong.
"QUESTIONABLE DATA"
It is normal practice for the Global Fund to review grant implementation after the first two years. The two grants under review are for improving prevention of mother-to-child transmission and increasing use of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs).
Concerns raised in the letter include that targets have not been met and that data provided by NACA is questionable -- including on key figures such as the number of people on ARVs.
The letter also says one of the pre-conditions for handing over the money was that a computerized accounting system be set up to allow traceability of funds. Twenty months into implementation, there is still no such system.
Another complaint was low disbursement. Only 23 percent of funds available in the first two years of both projects have been disbursed.
The NACA spokesman declined to discuss the specific points raised by the letter.
A Global Fund spokesman in Geneva said it was now reviewing the clarifications provided by the Country Coordinating Office (CCM) in Nigeria.
"A final recommendation about the grants will be issued to the board of the Global Fund on December 1. Board members will then have 10 days to have an in-depth look at these," he wrote in an email response to questions.
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