| African business coalitions formalise creation of PABC |
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Delegates from across Africa formally approved the registration of the Pan African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (PABC), and also appointed the first interim board of directors at a conference held in Kyalami, Johannesburg. The main objective of the PABC is to mobilise and co-ordinate country coalitions to take effective action on HIV/AIDS by expanding on, or initiating new, but sustainable responses.
The conference facilitators were Charles Nupen, the director : Tokiso, and Therese Lethu of the Global Business Coalition. Nine directors were appointed to the new PABC board by delegates:
The conference chair, Brad Mears, is also the CEO of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA), which hosted the event.
The PABC brings together business coalitions from all over the continent in an effort to encourage a collaborative response by the private sector in assisting governments in their efforts to mobilise against HIV/AIDS. Business collations were established through initiatives by the World Bank, World Economic Forum, the International Labour Organisation (ILO),UNAIDS and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC), with the aim of stimulating private sector engagement on these issues.
The creation of the PABC was the culmination of several consultative meetings between 2002 and 2005. Supported by the World Bank, the World Economic Forum's Global Health Initiative and UNAIDS, meetings were held with business coalitions and national AIDS commissions from across Africa, as well as donors and other support institutions. With significant support from Standard Bank, this culminated in 2005 with the creation of the PABC in Midrand, South Africa. Its formal launch was in December 2005. The outcome of the meeting held in South Africa was the identification of strategic deliverables for the PABC, the generation of a vision statement, and the appointment of a chairperson and advisory committee. Although the PABC has representation from 17 coalitions across Africa, one of the weaknesses is that the process by which it was established in 2005 did not include all Francophone countries. The first step in addressing this weakness was taken in mid-2006, when a meeting was held in Marrakech, Morocco to introduce Francophone countries to the PABC. Following cautious optimism in Morocco, a further meeting was held in Bamako, Mali in 2007, at which the PABC received overwhelming support from delegates. Mears said: "The formation of the PABC is part of a worldwide trend towards greater involvement of the private sector - through business coalitions - in fighting epidemics and pandemics. Once established as a legal entity, with continent-wide reach and recognition, we look forward to extending the reach of the organisation across the continent. This will give the PABC tremendous credibility and will strengthen the trust that donors have in us to direct and govern the appropriate application of the funds. We will also be able to maximise the reach and impact of the funds, thereby making a greater onslaught against these crippling diseases." Standard Bank, a founder member of SABCOHA and a member of the GBC, is involved with business coalitions across a number of African countries where it has operations. In addition to providing much-needed funding, the bank also assists with the work required to address the causes on the coalitions' diverse agendas, and invests in the development of skills among the members of the coalitions, particularly in terms of business competency. Says Clive Tasker, the chief executive officer of Standard Bank Africa: "We are confident that, by standing together, Africa's private sector can reach across international boundaries, to make a difference to the future of the continent. We are extremely proud and privileged to be part of this initiative." The conference started on 20 May and ended on 22 May 2008 at Kyalami Castle, in Kyalami, Johannesburg, South Africa. By Les Tilley (for SABCOHA) Note that the media can republish this article at no charge. Please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it indicating where and when it was published. Related information: Click here to read the full speech: pabc_opening_address 'Private sector initiatives need to be better co-ordinated across the African continent' Click here for more information on the PABC. Click here to view the PABC conference website. Click here to read more about the partners. |
The appointment of the new board and the legal registration of the PABC was approved at the closing plenary session of the conference, on 22 May 2008, by the African country business coalitions.
Once the PABC registration is finalised in South Africa, there will be an international tender process to appoint a chief executive officer. Initially, the PABC will be located in Johannesburg, South Africa. There will be no membership fees required for country business coaltions to join.
In his opening address at the conference on 20 May, Mears said: "As a continuously evolving organisation, the PABC now finds itself at a point in its existence where it needs to become fully functional, through the receipt of funding, and the expansion of its membership base, especially among Francophone countries."
Most African countries have fairly active business coalitions, which not only represent the private sector's interests in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but also work with the National Aids Commission (NAC) in their respective countries to direct and drive donor-funded public-private partnerships for HIV/AIDS and health programmes.