AIDS Commission disburses 69.7 billion cedis

Kumasi, June 10, GNA - The Ghana AIDS Commission has disbursed a total of 69.7 billion cedis to various non-governmental and community based organisations (CBOs) throughout the country in its response to the fight against the pandemic.

Professor Sakyi Awuku Amoa, Director General of the Commission, who announced this, said the NGOs had 51.2 billion cedis while the CBOs were given 18.5 billion cedis. This was contained in an address read on his behalf at the opening of a day's Annual National General Meeting of the Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET) in Kumasi on Friday. He said the figures represented over 70 per cent of the total disbursements indicating that the NGO's and the CBOs contributed immensely to the success story of the nation's fight against the disease.

Professor Amoa hinted that currently the prevalence rate of the disease had scaled down to 2.6 per cent. The 2003 HIV Sentinel Survey Report indicated that the median prevalence rate was 3.6 per cent. He pointed out that the reduction had come about through the numerous interventions by the various groups and organisations with the NGO's and CBO's forming the major groups. He said the Commission was satisfied with the input of GHANET in the national response and that through the Support for International Partnership against AIDS in Africa (SIPAA) programme it had funded the establishment of the secretariat and built the capacity of the members in various fields.

Professor Amoa stressed that the Commission would continue to resource the network to enable it play a major role as a key partner in achieving the objectives of the National Strategic Framework (NSF). The Director General announced that the next implementation of Ghana's programme in fighting the pandemic would start in January 2006 and that it would be done with the new NSF, which would start from 2006 to 2010.

Mr Sam Anyimadu Amaning, Chairperson of GHANET said in the new financial arrangement, the network had been able to get an opening for networking. He said at the Commission's Committee level, members of the organisation had been given positive inputs and asked for more members to be allowed to serve on the various committees of the Commission. He expressed the hope that members at the regional and district levels would be up and doing since the programme was no longer going to be placards but real commitment.