DAR ES SALAAM: THE country has secured 538.6 million US dollars (about 1.4tri/-) Global Fund grant to support efforts against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, while strengthening health systems.
The Tanzania National Coordinating Mechanism (TNCM), granted the approval which oversees and coordinates Global Fund financing in the country, during a special meeting held in Dar es Salaam.
The funding will support implementation of the Global Fund Grant Cycle 8 (GC8) from January 2027 to December 2029.
The TNCM meeting was chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Policy, Parliament, Coordination and Persons with Disabilities, Dr Jim Yonazi, who is also the TNCM Chairperson.
Dr Yonazi said preparations for the GC8 funding request began on March 13, 2026, and involved more than four months of consultations, national discussions, priority setting, technical reviews and verification of application documents.
He said the process was guided by broad stakeholder participation, transparency, accountability and national ownership, with more than 270 representatives from various sectors taking part.
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The participants included government ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, United Nations agencies, international organisations, civil society groups, private sector representatives, faith-based organisations, people living with HIV, communities affected by the diseases and health experts.
Dr Yonazi said Global Fund investments have continued to make a significant contribution to government efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of Tanzanians.
He said implementation of GC8 would help the country prevent new HIV infections, expand access to antiretroviral (ARV) medicines, strengthen malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and improve early detection and treatment of tuberculosis.
“Approval of this funding request is a result of extensive work and cooperation among stakeholders who invested their time, expertise and resources to ensure that the identified priorities respond to the country’s needs as well as the voices of affected communities,” Dr Yonazi said.
He described the approval as an important milestone demonstrating Tanzania’s commitment to sustaining the fight against the three diseases while building a stronger, inclusive and sustainable health system.
Dr Yonazi thanked the Global Fund Secretariat in Geneva, TNCM members and all stakeholders involved in preparing the funding request, saying their efforts were instrumental in reaching the milestone.
Meanwhile, TNCM Executive Secretary Mr Kent Pius expressed appreciation to the TNCM Chairperson, the Global Fund, members and partners for their cooperation and commitment throughout the process.
He said the approval reflected collective efforts and a shared commitment to improving health outcomes in Tanzania.
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“TNCM will continue coordinating cooperation between the government, communities, civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and international stakeholders to ensure Global Fund investments contribute towards achieving national and global targets of ending HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as public health threats,” Mr Pius said.
The Global Fund is one of Tanzania’s key development partners in supporting programmes aimed at controlling HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, which remain among the country’s major public health priorities.