The AIDS Watch Africa (AWA) was created by the eight Heads of State and Government during the height of HIV/AIDS epidemic in 2001 in juxtaposition with the historic Abuja Declaration. Originally coordinated from Abuja, the AWA Secretariat was subsequently repatriated to the AU HQ, Addis Ababa in 2004.

The Meeting of the AIDS Watch Africa Consultative Experts Committee in Addis Ababa in June 2012 adopted the AIDS Watch Africa Strategic Framework (2012-2015). This followed the decision of Heads of State and Government to revitalise and broaden the mandate of AIDS Watch Africa (AWA) in January 2012 to include tuberculosis and
malaria (Decision No: Assembly/AU/Dec.395 (XVIII). The AIDS Watch Africa Strategic Framework (2012-2015) is based on four pillars which are institutionalisation within the African Union Commission (AUC), promoting integration of AIDS, TB and Malaria responses, strategic partnerships and strategic initiatives to accelerate the implementation of continental commitments on the three diseases. This report thus provides an update on the implementation of the AWA Revitalisation Strategy from 2012 to 2015 and implementation of AWA decisions. The report also highlights the future strategic directions for AWA.