AIDS Commission develops new funding mechanism

Dodowa (E/R) Aug. 29, GNA - The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has developed a new funding mechanism that would effectively deal with the implementation of the national response on HIV/AIDS.

Mr Fuseini Ahmed Abu of GAC said the new plan would see the establishment of a pooled fund made up of contributions of funding partners to be made available in a common basket and managed by GAC. He said another would be the earmarked funding managed by GAC to take care of funds from donors to be allocated to specific projects and activities such as the care of AIDS orphans.

He said the third, an individual partner project funding, would cover the funding of HIV/AIDS activities directly by donors, who would be expected to keep the Commission informed through submission of copies of reports on their activities.

Mr Abu, who was addressing a two-day sensitisation workshop on HIV/AIDS, which GAC organised for the Parliamentary Press Corps that ended on Sunday at Dodowa, said three-pronged funding mechanism was expected to take care of the Commission's five-year programme of work from 2006 to 2010.

He said after three years of the implementation of the Ghana AIDS Response Fund, (GARFUND), gaps were identified in the intervention areas through a joint review of the national response. He said the gaps could be effectively addressed through a more collaborative and co-ordinated approach.

Areas to be covered under all funding mechanism would include policy and advocacy, treatment, care, research and surveillance. Earlier, Prof. Awuku Sakyi Amoa, Director-General of the GAC, told members of the Parliamentary Press Corps that a recent report showed that AIDS had killed more people than World Wars One and Two, the Korean, Vietnam and the Gulf wars, all rolled into one. He urged journalists to communicate relevant information to the general public.

Mr Edwin Arthur, Dean of the Press Corps, said at the onset of the awareness creation programmes, churches were seen vigorously campaigning against acts that tended to spread the disease but their efforts appeared to have slowed down.