The Brief

On August 19th 2011, at the State House, Freetown, Sierra Leone,

The fifth National AIDS Council meeting was chaired for the fifth consecutive time by H.E. the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.

The fifth National AIDS Council (NAC) was truly a historical event in the national response to HIV and AIDS in Sierra Leone, witnessing the official launch and handing over of the 5 Key Pillar Documents to H.E. the President of Sierra Leone by the Director of the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS) Dr. Brima Kargbo.

The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), and the International  Rescue Mission (IRC) have just concluded two sets of trainings on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

On the 16th March 2011 the United States of America Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Michael Owen and Entourage including delegation from AIDS Health Care Foundation paid an official visit to the HIV and Infectious Diseases reference Laboratory reconstructed by the National HIV and AIDS Secretariat situated at Lakka in the outskirt of Freetown. In his address he praised the government of Sierra Leone for the leadership role played in stabilizing the HIV epidemic in the country.  He also lauded the effort and energetic leadership of the Director, Dr. Brima Kargbo for transforming a dilapidated structure to a modern and next to non Reference Laboratory in Sierra Leone. He described Sierra Leone as a Centre of excellence. He further said that Sierra Leone because of its laboratory policy is above many other countries in the Sub- region.

Familiarization visit by the Honourable Minister of Health and Sanitation – Mrs. Zainab H. Bangura – to the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat (NAS), on Saturday 26th February 2011

On Saturday, 26^th February 2011, the Honourable Minister, Ministry of Health and Sanitation made a courtesy call to the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat. This form part of the familiarization visits to health-related institutions undertaken by the Honourable Minister. The primary objective is to have firsthand information of NAS’s operations.

The Director of NAS, Dr. Brima Kargbo welcomed the Minister to the Secretariat and congratulated her, for being the first Minister to visit the Secretariat since its inception in 2002. He assured her of NAS commitments to the campaign against HIV and AIDS in the country.