The Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) with funding from DANIDA, has presented seven flat screen computers and their accessories worth GH¢13,300 to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council to help to manage data of the Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the region. The computers are meant to be used by the assemblies to collect data on HIV and AIDs and also facilitate timely reporting to GAC. Mr Samuel Dery, Management Information System Officer, who presented the computers, said GAC thrived on a sound monitoring and evaluation system that produced evidence-based data for informed decision making. He said the computers would help to improve data quality and facilitate early submission of reports from the Municipal and District Assemblies, which GAC had earlier identified in its review plans as key challenges at the decentralized level. It would address other challenges such as multiple vertical reporting and poor local analysis. A Country Response Information Systems (CRIS) software designed by UNAIDS has been established to collect and manage national response monitoring and evaluation data and regional focal persons together with some civil society organisations have received training on the use and management of the software. He said GAC had drawn out plans as part of its activities for 2011 to 2015 to strengthen its monitoring and evaluation system to measure its success. Whilst thanking the District and Regional AIDS committees for contributing to the national response to HIV and AIDS, he called for coordination and monitoring at the regional and district levels. Mr Dery said GAC was setting up Regional and District Level Technical Support Units by phases in line with its mandate in Act 613, saying the move would further strengthen the call for coordination and management of decentralized response and facilitate the identification and provision of technical assistance in areas of need in the regions and districts. Mr Paul Kant Abdul-Kora, Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Council, who received the computers on behalf of the Regional Minister, expressed gratitude to GAC for the rapid response for providing the computers and said it would facilitate the work of the focal persons in data management. He said reservation expressed about the use of donor funds would not be part of the RCC, assuring GAC that funds sunk into the procurement of the computers would not be in vain. He appealed to GAC for a vehicle to augment the work of the focal persons. Source: GNA