WASHINGTON, June 28, 2024 – The World Bank has approved a $100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA)* to support Mali in enhancing the accessibility and utilization of crucial, high-quality reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent, and nutrition (RMNCAH+N) health services. This funding also aims to fortify the nation’s readiness for health emergencies in designated regions.
Employing a Results-Based Financing (RBF) strategy, the project, titled Promoting Inclusive Health System Resilience for All in Mali, Keneya Yiriwali (in Bambara), seeks to elevate the overall standard of essential health services. This particularly focuses on RMNCAH+N services by expanding coverage areas and reaching higher tiers of the health system. It will finance necessary resources and performance-linked payments within targeted regions and schools, leveraging available funds to improve service delivery effectiveness and availability. This expansion encompasses areas and communities vulnerable to climate change, regional hospitals, and school infirmaries, with a specific emphasis on adolescent health, climate-related emergencies, and preparedness and response to pandemics. Furthermore, the initiative is designed to optimize the efficiency of health sector spending through enhanced budgetary resource management, the consolidation of health financing, and improved information systems that connect budgets with performance outcomes.
“The expansion of Results-Based Financing, which now incorporates climate risks related to both energy and emergency management, is a key driver for improving the provision of quality healthcare services to communities through the Keneya Yiriwali project. This builds upon the achievements of the Project to Accelerate Progress Towards Universal Health Coverage (PACSU), which significantly enhanced healthcare utilization, quality metrics, medicine availability, and patient satisfaction across nine administrative regions,” explained Clara de Sousa, World Bank Operations Director for Mali. “RBF has proven to be a transformative mechanism, empowering health facilities, fostering local recruitment, driving infrastructure development, and equipping laboratories throughout Mali.”
The total value of this IDA operation stands at $125 million, comprising the $100 million IDA credit and a $25 million grant from the Global Financing Facility (GFF). Of this GFF grant, $15 million originates from the Government of the Netherlands, provided through a co-financing arrangement with the GFF. This collaborative partnership was instrumental in the successful implementation of the RBF approach via PACSU in Mali from 2020 to 2024.
“Building on previous support, the GFF grant and co-financing with the Government of the Netherlands will ensure robust alignment in Mali to enhance health services for women, children, and adolescents,” stated Luc Laviolette, Head of the GFF Secretariat. “Investing in a more resilient and inclusive health system can help guarantee that the needs of the hardest-to-reach and most climate-vulnerable communities are met.”
Keneya Yiriwali is primarily set to benefit women, adolescents, and children, encompassing a total population of 15.4 million inhabitants, including 3 million children under the age of 5 and 3.4 million women aged 15 to 49. Its coverage area will extend from the regions initially supported by PACSU—namely Gao, Mopti, Douentza, Bandiagara, San, Segou, Koulikoro, Dioila, and Nara—to new regions such as Tombouctou, Bougouni, Koutiala, and Sikasso, which report the highest poverty rates, as well as Commune VI of the Bamako district.
*The International Development Association (IDA) is the World Bank’s institution dedicated to assisting the world’s poorest countries. Established in 1960, IDA provides grants and low- or zero-interest loans to fund projects and programs designed to stimulate economic growth, alleviate poverty, and improve the lives of the most disadvantaged. IDA is among the largest providers of financial support to the 76 poorest nations globally, with 39 of these located in Africa. IDA resources positively impact the lives of 1.6 billion people. Since its inception, IDA has backed development activities in 113 countries, with annual commitments averaging $21 billion over the past three years, approximately 61% of which has been directed to Africa.