Windhoek – The United States Government (USG), represented by the Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Government of the Republic of Namibia, represented by the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), signed an amendment to their 2007 bilateral grant agreement to add US$28.2 million (N$395 million) of funding under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  These resources will fund activities under the 2018 PEPFAR Country Operational Plan; October 2018 to September 2019.  With the addition of US$28.2 million, USAID’s contribution to the agreement totals US$321.3 million (N$4.5 billion) since its inception in 2007.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Economic Planning & Director of the National Planning Commission, Hon. Obeth Kandjoze, the Minister of Health and Social Services, Hon. Dr. Bernard Haufiku, the Director of the USAID Southern Africa Regional Mission in Pretoria, South Africa, Mr. John Groarke, and the Ambassador of the United States of America to Namibia, Her Excellency Ms. Lisa Johnson.

Under PEPFAR, USAID and other U.S. Government partner agencies (the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Peace Corps, and the State Department), together with their implementing partners, support MOHSS to combat HIV/AIDS in Namibia. This work includes general HIV testing and treatment, prevention measures, capacity building, and logistics support. All of these elements are essential to control the HIV epidemic and achieve an AIDS-free generation in Namibia.  Namibia is close to achieving this goal.  PEPFAR’s focus is on identifying and treating those who are infected but who have not yet tested, particularly individuals living in areas with a high prevalence of HIV, as well as on population groups most at risk of contracting HIV, such as young women and older men.

PEPFAR is the largest commitment ever by a single nation toward an international health initiative - a comprehensive approach to combating HIV/AIDS around the world. PEPFAR employs the most diverse prevention, treatment, and care strategy in the world, with an emphasis on transparency and accountability for results. In Namibia, PEPFAR is led by the U.S. Ambassador, and programmed by an inter-agency management team chaired by the PEPFAR Coordinator.   

Since Namibia’s independence in 1990, USAID has supported Namibia’s development in sectors that include health and HIV/AIDS; basic education; community-based natural resource management; economic growth; democracy and governance; environment and biodiversity; and humanitarian assistance. Since 2010, American health development assistance to Namibia has focused on the HIV epidemic (and its related health challenges, such as tuberculosis), with USAID, along with CDC and Peace Corps supporting the Government of Namibia's national HIV response, in coordination with civil society and other stakeholders.

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