Introduction

Expertise France (EF) is a public agency created on 1st January 2015 and merging 6 French public agencies under the supervision of the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy and Finance, with a strong inter-ministerial vocation. EF offers program engineering and technical assistance by developing and implementing international cooperation actions worldwide. EF operates in various fields of development and institutional cooperation including safety and security reform, post-crisis/ stability, public health, human rights, strengthening of institutions and NGOs and governance. Carrying out large-scale, multi-stakeholder programs, EF can ensure the cooperation between individuals, teams and institutions with very different statuses, cultures and specialties. Besides, EF has acquired a sound experience in administrative and financial management of large-scale international programs.

 Context & Needs

The Agence française de Développement (AFD) has set up a dedicated financing instrument for peace and resilience in the Middle East, called the Minka Middle East Initiative. This instrument finances projects aiming at increasing living conditions and access to essential services of crisis-affected population. These projects should also contribute to build trust between State and society and reduce tensions between communities.

In Mosul, AFD aims at launching activities in the newly rehabilitated MRCC established within and under the leadership of the University of Mosul. This project proposal received strong support from the Iraqi authorities and stakeholders met on AFD’s first mission in the health sector in Iraq, during the second quarter of 2019.

AFD expressed interest to participate in the final investments required to upgrade the current medical equipment and ensure the proper functioning of this site with a granted amount of 10 million euros. AFD would finance the acquisition, maintenance and/or repair of medical equipment and infrastructure. This may include small renovations as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering to ensure the proper functioning of the material and equipment. AFD would also support the reinforcement of the MRCC management strategy, as well as training of medical, paramedical, and administrative personnel.

The overall objective of the project is to improve access to quality and accessible healthcare services for the population of Nineveh Governorate.

It breaks down into three specific objectives:

• To support the proper functioning of the newly rehabilitated Medical Research and Care Centers in Mosul University;
• To strengthen the capacity, skills and resources to attract and retain qualified employees of the Medical Research and Care Centers;
• To support the Mosul University's management capacities to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project.

A preliminary feasibility study was conducted between May and September 2021 by Expertise France through a team of technical experts in order to assess and define the needs in terms of rehabilitation and development of the Medical Research and Care Center (MRCC) of Mosul University, and to allow the design of a larger project in support of the MRCC that should be implemented in 2022. The specific objectives of this feasibility study were: 1) Assess the availability and proper use of the required equipment of the MRCC; 2) Assess the available Health human resources and planned governance mechanisms at the MRCC. The study resulted in a final report shared with AFD in September 2021 that included a list of strategic recommendations.

In order to define a comprehensive action plan within the framework of the future 2022 MRCC project funded by AFD, some of the recommendations from the feasibility study shall be completed by additional expertise. This will allow to accurately address the essential prerequisites for this project and to facilitate the elaboration of a complete strategy.

In particular, a project implementation Manuel will be developed: the implementation modalities of the AFD financing will need to be clarified in terms of financial management, tender management, supervision of works, environmental and social due diligences, reporting and external 10 audits. A Project Implementation Manual (PIM) covering all related subjects will be prepared for approval of all parties.