22 Jul 2019

Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Nonofo Molefhi says the National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA) was established in 1999 under the Ministry of Health and was later placed under the State President as an independent department, to coordinate the multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS.

Minister Molefhi, who was responding to a question in Parliament, said in 2015, government carried a rationalisation exercise of functions across all ministries that led to the relocation of NACA to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

He said this was to give HIV/AIDS necessary impetus and posture given that the epidemic continued to be one of the biggest public threats globally and in particular the SADC Region.

Minister Molefhi said ‘there are countries like Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, DRC, Tanzania, Nigeria, Liberia and Uganda; to name a few, where HIV response was coordinated either under the Presidency or the Prime Minister’s Office.

However, In 2018, Mr Molefhi said through a Presidential Directive, NACA was relocated back to health and wellness ministry from (MOPAGPA) effective April 1, 2019 now as National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA). On a related note, following a restructuring exercise of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, a decision has been made for NAHPA to be housed at the ministry. 

However, the phased implementation of the exercise resulted in NAHPA not physically moving to MoHW at the time, hence the current status quo. So far, the total rentals for NAHPA since April 1, 2016 up to June 31 is over P9.4 million.

Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the minister why the NAHPA was still housed under the Office of the President and not the relevant MoWH, and if he was aware that NAHPA continued to occupy the building whose lease agreement expired in 2015, despite being offered the seventh floor at the health ministry.

He also wanted to know how much rental had been paid annually from 2016 to date and what was the basis for such payment without lease agreement. ENDS