Government, donors to contribute towards second phase of HIV/AIDS

campaign

Tamale, Oct 17, GNA - The Government in collaboration with the World Bank, Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the British Department for International Development (DFID) are to contribute 40 million dollars for the second phase of the campaign against the HIV/AIDS pandemic within the next five years. The Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the participating funding partners for the campaign.

Mr Maxwell Addo, Director of Finance of the Ghana AIDS Commission announced this at a multi-sectoral workshop on HIV/AIDS capacity building for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies from the Northern, Upper East and West Regions at Tamale on Monday.

A new National Strategic Framework (NSF II), on multisectoral basis had been prepared for the period 2006 to 2010. Mr Addo said with effect from January next year, decentralized agencies would take over the review, selection and award of contracts to NGOs and Foreign-Based Organisations (FBOs).

He said funds would be channelled through the assemblies to enable them award contracts to the selected implementing organisations. Mr Addo said the Assemblies would be expected to monitor and report on the activities of the implementing agencies.

Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Northern Regional Minister, expressed regret that in spite of the intensive campaign on HIV/AIDS, "people continued to live sexually immoral lives".

He was optimistic that the workshop would outline measures and strategies that would strengthen the resolve to "kick out HIV/AIDS from our communities through personal and institutional pervasive measures." The Regional Minister urged the participants to see the fight against HIV/AIDS as a collective responsibility and a national crusade and contribute effectively to the discussions to come out with recommendations that would make Ghana free from the HIV/ AIDS menace.