DRAFT Ending AIDS in West Africa | RFI 624 17 EAWA

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFI 624 17 EAWA

The "DRAFT Ending AIDS in West Africa (EAWA)" opportunity is presented as a Request for Information (RFI) from USAID/West Africa, meaning it is not yet an actual grant competition but a market-sounding exercise to gather feedback that could shape a future Notice of Funding Opportunity. USAID is specifically seeking input on how it should structure the competition, including how applications might be evaluated and how the eventual project could be designed and administered. The agency makes clear that responding to the RFI does not guarantee a solicitation will be released, and it does not commit USAID to make an award; any eventual funding opportunity would depend on internal approvals and the availability of funds.

If developed into a funded activity, EAWA is expected to become the flagship HIV/AIDS cooperative agreement for USAID/West Africa's Regional Health Office. The overarching objective is to serve as a catalytic initiative that accelerates progress toward the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets across West and Central Africa as part of a broader ambition to help "end AIDS" in the region. In practical terms, the project is centered on improving performance across the three linked "90s" over a five-year period, with an emphasis on bending country and regional indicator trend lines toward those targets through focused, high-impact interventions.

A defining feature of EAWA is its concentration on key populations, defined here as groups with elevated HIV risk and higher HIV prevalence, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW). The approach described prioritizes replicating, adapting, and scaling proven practices across prevention, care, and treatment services tailored to these communities. The design highlights client-centered programming, evidence-based learning and adaptation, and a strong emphasis on local ownership and sustainability, suggesting that implementers would be expected to use data and learning to refine interventions while strengthening local systems and partners for longer-term continuity beyond the life of the award. The project description also signals that innovation, leveraging of existing resources, and partnerships will be central to achieving results, which implies USAID is looking for implementers who can coordinate with multiple stakeholders and align with other ongoing HIV efforts in the region.

Geographically, the activity is framed as regional, with a set of core focus areas and the possibility of expansion depending on contributions from other USAID missions or offices. The primary focus countries explicitly mentioned are Togo and Burkina Faso, as well as programming along major interstate corridors and coastal roads across West Africa, particularly the Abidjan-to-Lagos corridor and potentially the Abidjan-to-Conakry route, including linkages that reference Monrovia and Freetown. The RFI also notes that, with additional mission-level funding, the project could extend to countries such as Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria. Beyond the focus areas, USAID signals an intent to achieve measurable improvements across the broader ECOWAS region and Cameroon, reinforcing that the activity is meant to influence regional HIV outcomes and coordination, not only country-specific results.

From an eligibility and compliance standpoint, USAID indicates a wide range of potential applicants could compete if a formal funding opportunity is issued. Eligible entities would include U.S. or non-U.S. NGOs, private voluntary organizations, for-profit firms that are willing to forego profit, colleges and universities, and public international organizations, with faith-based and community organizations also eligible if they meet the criteria. However, USAID flags that applicants must have robust systems that meet U.S. Government standards, including financial management, monitoring and evaluation capacity, internal controls, and compliant policies and procedures. Any eventual award would be subject to a responsibility determination by USAID, potentially including a pre-award survey conducted under the authority of an Agreement Officer. The RFI also explicitly encourages consortium approaches, signaling that USAID anticipates multi-organization teams may be better positioned to deliver the required regional coverage, technical breadth, and partnership reach.

In the source data, the opportunity is categorized under discretionary funding with the anticipated instrument being a cooperative agreement (which typically implies substantial involvement by USAID during implementation compared to a standard grant). It is listed under the health activity category with CFDA number 98.001. The original closing date for the RFI is shown as October 31, 2016, with a referenced award ceiling of $16,000,000, though the record does not specify the number of expected awards. Overall, the notice should be read as an early-stage planning step aimed at shaping a potential high-value, regionally oriented HIV initiative focused on key populations and accelerated progress toward the 90-90-90 targets through scalable, evidence-driven, partnership-heavy programming.

• The West Africa USAID-Ghana in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DRAFT Ending AIDS in West Africa" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-10-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-10-31. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $16,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for RFI 624 17 EAWA

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