Strengthening the Government of Namibia’s health information systems (HIS) to improve public health programs under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA JG 25 0093

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA JG 25 0093

This funding opportunity (CDC RFA JG 25 0093) is a PEPFAR-supported cooperative agreement run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) focused on strengthening Namibia's health information systems (HIS) so public health programs, especially HIV and TB, can be managed using more complete, timely, and reliable data. Rather than primarily paying for direct service delivery, the core of the award is technical assistance to the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) to improve how data are collected, linked, stored, accessed, and used across the national health system. The overall intent is to help Namibia build systems that are not only functional now, but also efficient, adaptable, and sustainable as program needs and reporting requirements change.

Funding is described in a slightly unusual way: the stated "Award Ceiling for Year 1" is listed as 0, meaning there is no preset maximum cap published for year one awards in the notice. At the same time, CDC indicates it anticipates approximately $5,000,000 in total funding available for Year 1 across the program, depending on the availability of funds. CDC expects to make about three awards. The application deadline listed is February 20, 2025, and the opportunity was posted December 4, 2024. The activity category is health, the assistance listing is under CFDA/Assistance Listing 93.067, and the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial involvement from CDC in planning, implementation support, and oversight compared to a standard grant.

The work is centered on strengthening national HIS, monitoring and evaluation approaches, and surveillance activities in ways that directly support Namibia's HIV and TB epidemic control efforts. The primary government counterparts named are the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) and the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP), along with other relevant stakeholders. A major theme is improving "data to action" by making it easier for decision-makers and program teams to get the right data at the right time, trust its quality, and use it to improve program performance, target resources, and respond to outbreaks or emerging trends.

The notice outlines several example strategies that applicants might propose. These include improving data access and use across multiple data sources and settings, such as laboratory information systems, community-based reporting platforms, and facility-based clinical systems. It also includes strengthening MOHSS-led surveillance systems, which can cover routine case-based surveillance, sentinel surveillance, and other mechanisms that help the country detect, track, and respond to disease patterns. Another priority is improving MOHSS's ability to centrally store and access health data, which points to better national-level architecture for data warehousing, interoperability, governance, and secure access controls so information is usable without being fragmented across disconnected databases.

A further emphasis is on refining unique identification for health records, which is critical in HIV and TB programs for accurately linking patient encounters across services and over time (for example, linking HIV testing, treatment initiation, viral load results, TB screening, and treatment outcomes). Stronger patient identity approaches reduce duplication, improve continuity of care, and make reporting more accurate. The notice also highlights introducing technology solutions to automate and improve efficiency, suggesting investments in system improvements, integration tooling, workflows, and potentially analytics and visualization, so that routine tasks require less manual work and data errors are reduced.

Capacity building is a central expectation. The recipient is expected to provide technical assistance and strengthen the skills of GRN staff so improvements are not dependent on outside support indefinitely. This includes helping staff operate, maintain, and continually improve systems, as well as building practical competencies in monitoring and evaluation, surveillance methods, data management, and data quality improvement. Data quality is specifically called out in terms of timeliness, completeness, and accuracy, signaling that the program will prioritize not just new tools, but also governance, standard operating procedures, routine quality checks, feedback loops, and accountability mechanisms that improve the reliability of the data produced by health information and surveillance systems.

Applicants should expect to start with a clear assessment of existing MOHSS and NIP infrastructure, systems, and capacity, then propose a plan to reinforce what exists rather than replace it unnecessarily. In practice, that often means mapping current systems, identifying gaps in interoperability, evaluating data flow from facilities and labs to national levels, reviewing standards and indicators, and diagnosing where delays or errors are introduced. The end goal described is a stronger national HIS and surveillance environment where data are easy to access (appropriately and securely), high quality, and routinely used to monitor program outcomes, guide continuous improvement, and support national policy, guideline updates, and real-time public health response.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations and institutions, such as U.S. and non-U.S. governmental entities, public and private universities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), tribal governments and organizations, and other unrestricted applicants, as listed in the notice. This wide eligibility suggests CDC is prioritizing technical capability and partnership strength over organizational type, with the expectation that recipients can coordinate effectively with MOHSS, NIP, and other national stakeholders while delivering complex HIS, M&E, and surveillance strengthening work at scale.

• The Centers for Disease Control-GHC in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening the Government of Namibia’s health information systems (HIS) to improve public health programs under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Unrestricted.

Apply for CDC RFA JG 25 0093

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