The National Council on AIDS has approved the establishment of a special Trust Fund outside the normal budgetary provision to sustain funding and ownership of HIV/AIDS response programmes.
The approval is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the two–day National Council of AIDS meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
The communiqué was signed by Dr Sani Aliyu, Chairman of the council.
Aliyu, who is also the Director-General of NACA, said the meeting deliberated on priority policy and programme issues that will enhance the coordination of the national response.
He said the overarching goal of the council was to review HIV/AIDS policy and programme implementation, and make recommendations for improved performance, coordination, ownership and sustainability at the national and sub-national levels.
He said memos on policy and programme issues discussed by the council covered priority areas including governance, prevention, treatment care and support, coordination, sustainability and resource mobilisation.
According to Aliyu, preceding the council meeting was a one-day technical meeting during which 78 memos received from stakeholders were discussed.
“The technical session deliberated on 77 memos, out of which 17 were recommended for consideration by the Council, 18 were noted for Council’s information,and were deferred for modification and representation, and 29 were recommended for withdrawal,’’ he said.
He explained that during deliberations, a total of 10 memos were approved out of the 17 that were recommended for consideration.
He said seven out of 17 were to be merged with a memo that was already approved and six out of 17 memos were stepped down.
The scribe also said that the council approved the strengthening of human resources accountability, sustainability and efficiency at the states/FCT agencies for the control of aids (SACAs) in the federation.
It supports the need for tripartite agreement between SACAs, donors and IPs on donor funded projects.
It also approved that NACA supports the coordination of HIV/AIDS control in states affected by Boko Haram insurgency, among others. (NAN)