The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that it will blacklist partners who fail to account for funds received to combat disease outbreaks on the continent.
It also warned that the era of organisations operating without transparency is over.
Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.
He expressed displeasure that, of the $962 million disbursed from a $3 billion pledge made on the sidelines of a UN and G20 meeting in September, some partners reported receiving about $220 million.
“There was a practice in many African countries—I say many, not all, but many—where partners would receive money from donors and implement activities without disclosing how much they had received or even sending a report to the government,” Kaseya said.
“And when the outbreak is over, we’ll hear from some capitals that billions of dollars were invested to stop it. I said, ‘Enough is enough.’ It will never happen again on this continent.
“We managed to fundraise. We got figures from all donors. Based on the last meeting the US organised in September on the sidelines of the UN and G20 meetings, a total of $3 billion was pledged.
“Of that amount, $962 million had already been disbursed. We worked with the DRC government and organised a meeting with partners. Only 19 out of 92 partners attended. Those partners disclosed that they had received around $220 million.
“If, out of the $962 million disbursed, the government knows about only $220 million, what kind of government can lead a response without knowing how much money it has, who is doing what, and where?
“Then I said, ‘Stop. First, I need to know: where is the $700 million?’ For now, we’re not talking about mismanagement or fraud. We’re talking about traceability; we want to know where the money is.
“This is why, even in Nigeria, I have already instructed Professor Aliko Ahmed, who is working closely with Professor Mohammed Pate. His role will be to coordinate all partners working in Nigeria and provide daily updates to the minister,” he added.
Asked whether he could rule out fraud or mismanagement, Kaseya said: “You know we are working with donors. The US is sending me today the list of partners who received money and how much they got.
“The European Union has already shared its information with me. I know exactly who got what. Other partners are sending the information to their donors, who are then sharing it with us.
“If a partner receives money from a donor and is unable to tell us what they did with it, then I will start talking about fraud. Then I will start talking about mismanagement.
“But let me tell you, it’s not a threat. For partners who don’t want to comply with this rule, I will make sure I send a letter to all African countries, and I will go to the AU Assembly, where they will be blacklisted in Africa.”
