WASHINGTON — The World Bank has greenlit a $100 million IDA credit to bolster Mali’s healthcare system by enhancing access to quality reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, adolescent, and nutritional services. The initiative also aims to strengthen emergency health preparedness in vulnerable regions.
The Keneya Yiriwali project (meaning “Health for All” in Bambara) employs results-based financing (RBF) to elevate the overall quality of essential health services, particularly those targeting reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health, as well as nutrition (RMNCAH+N). By expanding coverage and reinforcing lower tiers of the health pyramid, the project will fund necessary inputs and performance-based payments in selected regions and schools, depending on available resources. This expansion prioritizes climate-vulnerable zones, regional hospitals, and school clinics, with a strong focus on adolescent health, climate emergencies, and pandemic preparedness. Additionally, the project seeks to enhance expenditure efficiency through improved budget management, streamlined health financing, and robust information systems linking budgets to performance outcomes.
«Integrating climate risks and energy challenges into RBF is pivotal for Keneya Yiriwali to deliver high-quality healthcare to underserved populations,» stated Clara de Sousa, World Bank’s Country Director for Mali. «This builds on the success of the Accelerating Progress Towards Universal Health Coverage (PACSU) project, which significantly improved healthcare utilization, service quality scores, drug availability, and patient satisfaction across nine regions.»
The total funding of $125 million combines the IDA credit with a $25 million Global Financing Facility (GFF) grant, including $15 million from the Dutch government through a joint financing mechanism. This collaboration has already driven the effective implementation of the RBF approach in Mali from 2020 to 2024 under PACSU.
«Leveraging past support, the GFF grant and Dutch co-financing will solidify Mali’s path toward resilient, inclusive healthcare,» noted Luc Laviolette, GFF Secretariat Head. «Investing in resilient health systems ensures even the most remote and climate-vulnerable communities receive the care they need.»
The Keneya Yiriwali project will benefit 15.4 million people, including 3 million children under 5 and 3.4 million women aged 15–49. Its coverage extends from PACSU’s initial regions—Gao, Mopti, Douentza, Bandiagara, San, Ségou, Koulikoro, Dioïla, and Nara—to new high-poverty areas like Tombouctou, Bougouni, Koutiala, Sikasso, and Bamako’s Commune VI.
