Japan gives Tanzania 2.3 bln yen to fight Aids, poverty

from Reuters

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Japan has given Tanzania 2.3 billion yen in loans and grants to help the country fight poverty and HIV, Tanzania's Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.

Of the total, a 2 billion yen loan will support the east African nation's budget, the ministry said. The rest will pay for medicines and test kits to counter the threat of HIV/AIDS.

About 2 million Tanzanians, out of a population of some 40 million, are infected with HIV, Tanzania's government says.

The country is among the continent's top recipients of donor aid, with 42 percent of its 2007-08 budget funded by donors.