In Tanzania, institutional efforts to combat HIV/AIDS started in 1985 by establishing a National Taskforce within the Ministry of Health. This was so because the HIV/AIDS epidemic was first perceived as a health problem, and the initial control efforts were formulated and based within the health sector. In 1988, the task force was transformed into a fully-fledged National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).
From 1989, AIDS Control efforts were decentralized to the regions and districts. From 1992, control efforts started also to be initiated within non-health sectors. By the year 2000, there were 23 other sectors that had joined the National Response to HIV/AIDS and have developed AIDS action plans including all the districts in the country.
During all this time, NACP remained the central coordinating Unit as a Secretariat to the National AIDS Committee (NAC). In addition to Coordination, the NACP continued to serve as the main implementing agent for the Ministry of Health as well as responding to needs of other non-health sectors.
