3 Oct 08:

In August 2008 reprogramming, the USG team added $60,000 to this activity to support the PEPFAR

Country Coordinator position and $200,000 to support a commodities management specialist for the

PEPFAR Cote d'Ivoire program.

USAID contributes to the Cote d'Ivoire USG Emergency Plan (EP) through an array of Washington-

managed implementation agreements and "buy-ins" for field activities. Though there is no USAID bilateral

mission in Cote d'Ivoire, USAID ensures local management and technical oversight of activities through a

senior-level in-country USAID adviser, who serves on the PEPFAR integrated management team. This

USAID in-country adviser participates fully in joint technical assistance and planning to all EP-funded

partners and has primary project management oversight responsibilities for USAID-funded projects. The

role of the USAID adviser is to provide direction, financial management, program oversight, and

coordination for USAID projects as part of the larger EP program and to contribute broader policy, strategic,

and agency perspectives as part of the EP country team. A range of technical and program management

support is provided to the USAID adviser through ongoing virtual consultation and short-term field visits

from the USAID West Africa Regional Mission based on Ghana, as well as from the USAID/Washington

Office of HIV/AIDS.

In addition to the senior AIDS adviser, USAID will engage a number of locally engaged staff and

expatriate professionals to provide more robust technical and management oversight for the PEPFAR

program. The majority of these positions will be engaged through an intermediary institutional contractor to

accelerate recruitment and minimize the management burden on the USG team in Cote d'Ivoire. Contractor-

engaged staff will necessarily serve as technical advisers and activity managers, to support the official

decisions and duties of USG direct-hire staff. Notwithstanding their contractual status, these individuals will

be expected to function on a day-to-day basis as full technical members of the USG in-country team in Cote

d'Ivoire. All of these positions will be completely funded by PEPFAR/Cote d'Ivoire program funds, including

associated administrative support and overhead costs (contractor-engaged staff). Some positions are

expected to be absorbed as direct-hire staff of either CDC or USAID in the future. The USG team and

USAID may also agree to hire additional short- or long-term staff during the program year, as needed,

unless prohibited by OGAC. The bulk of these costs are already supported by COP07 funds. Resources

from FY08 will complete the budget and support the continuing senior HIV/AIDS Adviser position, along with

enhanced TDY technical assistance from USAID/West Africa.

Reprogrammed FY08 funds will support the recruitment of a health management information system

(HMIS) specialist to help coordinate USG Cote d'Ivoire team responses to HMIS needs. The HMIS

specialist will provide technical assistance for all HMIS activities supported by the USG in Cote d'Ivoire,

including the design, strengthening, and maintenance of information systems (paper and electronic) to

support HIV counseling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, antiretroviral treatment

services, community-based care for HIV-infected persons and orphans and vulnerable children, and

palliative care, including TB treatment services. Systems to be strengthened or developed will address the

collection, management, analysis, and use of HIV/AIDS-related data for patient care tracking, program

monitoring and evaluation, and measuring disease burden and trends.

Other iIllustrative Cote d'Ivoire-based staff (contractor-recruited):

1. HIV Services Program Manager. The incumbent will ensure planning, resource management, and

performance monitoring of selected implementing partners and activities in the program. In addition, s/he

may play a lead role in one or more key technical area, such as Condoms and Other Prevention, Policy

Analysis and Systems Strengthening, or Care and Support of HIV-infected people. (Expat position).

2. Communication Program Manager. The incumbent will ensure planning, budget tracking, and

performance monitoring of selected implementing partners and activities in the program. The incumbent will

be the designated overall coordinator for the development of the annual Country Operational Plan (COP)

and may play a lead role in one or more key technical areas, such as strategic information, orphans and

vulnerable children (OVC), or behavior change communication (BCC). (Expat position).

NARRATIVE CHANGES (Cont.)

3. Organizational Development and Capacity Building Adviser. The incumbent will oversee planning,

resource management, and performance monitoring of selected Ivorian implementing partners and activities

in the program. S/he will be the primary technical and management adviser to strengthen the capacity of

indigenous Ivorian NGOs to provide HIV-related services. (Projected FSN 11-12 equivalent).

4. Community-Based Care and Treatment Coordinator. The incumbent will manage activities in the areas of

community-level HIV/AIDS health services, including palliative/home-based care, OVC services, and

public/private partnership care and treatment programs. S/he will oversee implementing partners involved in

community-based care and treatment. (Projected FSN-11 equivalent).

5. Public-Private Partnerships Adviser. The incumbent will be the key point of contact for establishing and

managing relationships with private-sector funding and in-kind donation partners, as well as with key public

figures to serve as spokespeople for HIV/AIDS awareness and behavior change in Cote d'Ivoire. The

position will also manage the Sports for Life initiative. (Projected FSN 11 equivalent).

6. HIV Facility-Based Care and Treatment Coordinator. The incumbent will manage activities in the areas of

facility-based HIV/AIDS care and treatment services, including antiretroviral (ARV) clinical care, prevention

of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), counseling and testing (CT), and TB/HIV services.

(Projected FSN-11/12, equivalent).

7. Laboratory Management Branch Chief. The incumbent oversees all USG laboratory services under the

PEPFAR/Cote d'Ivoire program. S/he supervises strategy development, operational planning and

monitoring, and technical quality control of clinic-based and other laboratory services provided directly by

the USG and through implementing partners. (Projected FSN 12 equivalent)

8. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist. The incumbent supports routine activities monitoring and reporting

on annual action plans, as well as use of performance data for decision-making. (Projected FSN 11

equivalent)

USAID/Ghana will provide additional support to the CI PEPFAR program in the form of short-term

technical support visits (TDYs) to Cote d'Ivoire as well as enhanced Ghana-based administrative, technical

monitoring, and procurement support from USAID/Ghana direct staff. In anticipation of increased bilateral

procurement actions and awards to Ivorian NGOs, the USAID/West Africa regional mission will recruit one

full-time locally engaged acquisition specialist to facilitate bilateral procurement actions on behalf of the

Cote d'Ivoire program, including establishing and monitoring new competitively awarded agreements under

the New Partners Initiative and others. The mission will also engage additional administrative support staff

effort as required to adequately manage resources and performance of USAID implementing mechanisms

operating in Cote d'Ivoire.

Activity Narrative: Ghana-based USAID direct-hire positions:

9. Acquisition Specialist. The incumbent serves as an acquisition specialist in USAID/West Africa's Regional

Contracting Office (RCO) and represents it as a full team member of the USAID/Ghana Health Team

dedicated to the PEPFAR/Cote d'Ivoire country HIV/AIDS program. S/he independently performs the full

range of acquisition duties, including developing comprehensive planning strategies and appropriate

solicitation documents, and conducting the analysis, evaluation, and negotiation of a wide variety of

acquisition and assistance documents, such as contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, endowments,

etc. (Projected FSN 9-10)

10. Administrative Assistant. The incumbent provides administrative support to USAID-funded technical and

management staff based in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire managing the PEPFAR/Cote d'Ivoire program. S/he

will assist in communication, resource tracking, and reporting on program progress. (Projected FSN 8)

The USG integrated team will be supported by joint agency (CDC-funded) technical and operational

positions, thereby reducing redundancies and lowering costs. Additionally, where possible, CDC Cote

d'Ivoire will provide EP staff with equipment and other necessary support (e.g. IT, travel, and motor pool).

This will minimize the USAID ICASS bill and reduce overall EP ICASS costs in Cote d'Ivoire.