Formed in 1999, the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa works to mobilize a broader, intensified response to the epidemic by partners inside and outside the continent. One of its goals is to increase the number of African countries managing their AIDS response at the highest level. Experience shows that the prospects for success are brightest when a country has a top-level committee or body -- often reporting to the president or prime minister -- responsible for planning and managing action to combat the epidemic. Such a high-level body can draw in the many sectors that need to be involved, from the grassroots level through the education, defence and health ministries to the private agricultural, mining, industrial and service sector.

In the past 15 months, working through the Partnership, an impressive number of countries have set up a new top-level AIDS coordination body or strengthened an existing one. Among these are Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia.