World Bank approves US $21 million grant

A World Bank initiative has been launched to mitigate a potential rise in the HIV/AIDS infection rate in Angola. The World Bank this week approved a grant of US $21 million to assist Angola's government in implementing the HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (TB) Control Project. "The government has requested the World Bank's financial and technical assistance to implement its plan to combat HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, and other health objectives linked to the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals," Jean Jacques de St Antoine, the World Bank Task Team Leader for the project, said in a statement. Funding will be provided to the Ministry of Health, as well as other ministries, for prevention and treatment. As a result of the isolation of communities during its 27-year civil war, Angola currently has one of the lowest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in southern Africa, but malaria is one of the leading causes of death in the country.