Tanzania receives between 300 million US dollars to 500 million US dollars (about 400bn/- and 600bn/-) annually from various donors for various HIV/Aids programmes. The meeting attracted over 300 delegates from donor agencies, government ministries, civil society and other stakeholders.
Mr Marmo said the government was determined to ensure strict accountability in management of resources at all levels. He said to ensure resources benefit the target groups, all districts were receiving 200m/- annually. He warned those operating phony NGOs which misuse the donors’ monies that their days were numbered.
The minister said it was important for the country to assess effectiveness and efficiency of its HIV/Aids programmes. Mr Marmo expressed concern over the high prevalence of HIV/Aids in the country, saying about 2 million people were HIV positive out of the 38 million population. He said only 300,000 people were on antiretroviral drugs (ARVs).
Chairperson of the Development Partners Group Ms Elise Jensen from USAID said HIV/Aids awareness in the country was at present high. She said over the last one year more than four million people were counselled, tested and received results. She, however, said there were many people who have not been reached.
Ms Jensen said according to a recent analysis, the country needed 1.2 billion US dollars (about 1.5trillion/-) annually for HIV/Aids programmes, which was four times higher than the current commitments. We must prioritise resources allocations based on a thorough understanding of the nature of epidemic in Tanzania, she said. She added that donors cannot afford to invest in ineffective prevention activities and unnecessarily expensive services.
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