By Ndidi Chukwu
The international community via the PMNCH NGO constituency has elected Dr Aminu Magashi Garba, a Nigerian as one of the two next civil society representatives to the Global Financing Facility (GFF) Investors’ Group. The announcement came at end of PMNCH Board Meeting on Thursday 27th October 2016 that took place in Maputo, Mozambique.
The PMNCH NGO Board Chair Betsy McCallon had this to say about the election “your active engagement, commitment to transparent and participatory processes, and in depth knowledge of health planning and financing impressed the review committee, and we are confident in your ability to fulfil the role. We are truly pleased to welcome you to this position and hope to have your confirmation of acceptance as soon as possible.”
Dr Magashi will be participating in the 4th GFF Investors Group meeting holding in Daressalam, Tanzania from 3rd-4th November 2016. Membership to the IG is voluntary and non-paid.
Global Financing Facility is a multi-stakeholder partnership in support of the United Nation’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health and the new Sustainable Development Goals. The GFF in support of Every Woman Every Child seeks to contribute to global efforts and momentum to end preventable deaths of women, adolescents, children, and newborns by 2030 and to accelerate and direct domestic and international resources to scale sustainable financing of RMNCAH. It is a financing mechanism that aims to align funding, improve efficiencies, and mobilize new resources
At the global level, the GFF is primarily governed through an Investors Group, which is comprised of representatives from GFF country, United Nation Agencies, Gavi, the Global Fund, PMNCH, bilateral donors, Private Sector and Civil Societies Reps.
Brief about Dr Aminu Magashi Garba
Aminu founded and coordinates the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) which is à regional network committed to using budget advocacy to influence adequate spending, transparency and accountability in the Africa’s health sector. Through the work of AHBN, he is an active member of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) CSOs Coordination Group and Global Steering Committee for Harmonization on Universal Health Coverage Advocacy Initiative. He is also a co-convener of the PMNCH Steering Group on accountability drive. In Nigeria he has being active for over 2 decades now in pursuance of accountability and transparency in the health sector as well as advocating for sustainable financing of the sector. Recently Aminu led the Africa Health Budget Network and launched a global and regional campaign “Value our Health’ focusing on openness and participation. He writes a weekly newspaper health column with a Nigerian Newspaper ‘Daily Trust’ for over 14 years and the publisher of an online newspaper ‘Health Reporters – www.healthreporters.info’ that reports on SRMNCAH in Africa. He is the Chair Board of Trustees of Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR), a national NGO in Nigeria advocating for adequate finances in the health sector, transparency and accountability.
