Governance of the IFCHA, according to the constitution includes the following:

•  The General Assembly

•  The Board of Governors

•  The Executive Secretariat

•  The Network of Local Chapters

•  The Network of National Chapters

•  The Network of International Chapters

•  The International Headquarters.

LOCAL IFCHA CHAPTERS

Individuals would come together or a pre existing association may become a member of the network; having agreed to pursue health related objectives. They would meet monthly, bimonthly or quarterly, may require a small office, regular meeting place, a small executive/steering committee, channels of communication (mobile phone, emails), an account in micro finance institution, and a health centre/dispensary/local hospital with whose health teams the group would collaborate. Local forum partners are interested community members especially those with experiences of health committees, hospital management committees, development committees, local councils. They will identify potential promoters and investors in their community, resident or expatriate; and create an alliance of community health associations in the area of the local council.

NATIONAL IFCHA CHAPTERS

These will comprise a broad based alliance of associations, institutions, departments, units, including people/personality of vary capabilities and orientation convinced of the importance of community health, prerequisite for socio economic development. This would include for example faith based organizations, women organizations, youth/sport club/groups, professional associations-teachers, engineers, journalists, agriculturists, jurists, writers, musicians, economists, sociologists, bankers, insurance brokers, physicians, other health professionals, specialists.

There could be group membership of the different categories each contributing their expertise and the resources to the goals and objectives of IFCHA. The alliance of IFCHA chapters will determine the location of their office, periodicity of their joint meetings, and identify the areas of work to be undertaken by different groups or jointly, as well as monitoring and feedback.

INTERNATIONAL IFCHA CHAPTERS

These are located away from Africa , including /incorporating the African Diaspora of experts, promoters and investors. It is preferable to have one international IFCHA chapter in any foreign country, although large industrialized countries may have more than one chapter. These autonomous chapters may communicate amongst themselves. But they would collaborate directly with the IFCHA headquarters, especially when in channeling resources to local and national IFCHA chapters.

INTERNATIONAL IFCHA HEADQUARTERS

It is proposed that this be based at least initially at the INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE CENTER , Mahele0 - Kribi , Cameroon . The executive secretariat would host a small core staff of highly qualified persons, their profile corresponding to IFCHA activities, as well as young persons undertaking “internships”, rotating internships. Located in a relatively renewed area of Kribi, and pleasant garden space, it is proper for reflection, management and scholarship. The rooms and offices could be “connected” to the internet. Permanent support staff would look after rotating expert personnel and rotating interns. This setting will also house exhibitions of African Arts, music and culture and equipped to host conferences, seminar and workshops.

THE FORUM FUNCTIONNING OF THE NETWORK

The role of ifcha would be to assist in accelerating the attainment of health and development goals of ongoing public, private or voluntary projects.

this could be done by:

•  contributing to the transparent management of participatory resources

•  helping to strenghten partnership arrangements

•  reinforcing existing health development efforts

local chapters of ifcha will work closely with energetic young individuals, district health management and local authorities. they will establish for their local council areas an alliance of community health associations, bringing together health care providers, investors and beneficiaries.

national chapters of ifcha will work with national health authorities with a view to accelerating and achieving local health development goals. national chapters will progressively develop from an alliance of professional associations and institutions committed to health.

international ifcha chapters (the diaspora) will work with ifcha chapters, local, national and the international headquarters. they will determine their respective areas of work, and create, finance and monitor working groups. the diaspora will promote twinning arrangements between local council areas in africa and other continents.

ifcha headquarters , nucleus of the network will work with local, national and international chapters with guidance and support from local, national and international organisations. ifcha headquarters will maintain the ifcha website,

coordinate resource flows to local health systems, and organise africa health competitions.