PEPFAR Country Coordinator, Mark Giambrone Sent Forth

Mark Giambrone in his capacity as the erstwhile PEPFAR Country Coordinator oversaw matters concerning the Department of State’s Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC).  He led the U.S. PEPFAR interagency team in Nigeria in driving the formulation and recommendation of initiatives in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria. His efforts ensured a PEPFAR program that was appropriate for the Nigerian context and immensely contributed to epidemic control and to a sustainable national HIV/AIDS response. In the role, he ensured coordination and linkages to U.S. Government bilateral assistance with Nigeria and other donors particularly the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria, non-governmental organizations, and international multilateral organizations engaged in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. He served meritoriously in this role for a few years. A few comments about his stay are presented below:

Mark arrived in Nigeria with a lot of enthusiasm and passion to influence the national HIV & AIDS response. He threw himself into this assignment. He identified all key stakeholders in the national response. He engaged with everyone and ensured that at the national and program levels, all actions towards performance improvement were agreed and implemented. I particularly enjoyed working with him during the Global Fund Country Coordination Meetings and during the implementation of the Joint Alignment Processes to align the resources of government of Nigeria, PEPFAR and the Global Fund to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Mark should leave Nigeria knowing that his mission was fulfilled.
Christiana Laniyan
Program Director – Global Fund NAHI

Mr. Mark Giambrone was part of the team of high- level USG visitors to Akwa Ibom State in August, 2019, led by the United States Ambassador, Mr. Stuart Symington and his entourage which included the USAID Mission Director and members of the USAID Nigeria team. The team was received at the airport by dignitaries in the state including the Network of People Living with HIV (AKNET/NEPHWAN). The team visited the HIV/Health situation room in the State Ministry of Health after paying a courtesy visit to the Hon. Commissioner for Health, Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Dominic Ukpong. Some SIDHAS supported facilities including UUTH, MGH Ituk Mbang as well as the Ibom Specialist Hospital (a non SIDHAS site) were visited even as the team expressed satisfaction with the efforts to ensure the state achieves HIV epidemic control.

Notable strides of the exiting PEPFAR coordinator – Mr. Mark Giambrone

  • Supported the interagency visit to AKS

  • He also led the drive on U=U

  • Participated in the post-NAIIS surge implementation

  • Led the national joint alignment exercise

Mark Giambrone in Akwa Ibom state on his arrival in 2019

On the 13th of October 2021, the Acting Country Director, Dr Hadiza Khamofu joined the sent forth of Mark Giambrone, PEPFAR Country Coordinator, Nigeria at the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)

 

1 Comment

  1. Enenwali Pauline Nonye

    This is great! May you be strengthened to do more!

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