| 'Private sector initiatives need to be better co-ordinated across the African continent' |
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The legal registration of the Pan African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (PABC) got under way at the new organisation's first formal conference, chair Brad Mears said in his opening address.
The conference chair, Brad Mears, is the chairman of the PABC and also the CEO of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA).
"However, two additional objectives need to be achieved before the corporate response can be deemed to be more functional. Firstly, private sector initiatives need to be better co-ordinated across the African continent and secondly, they need to be fully integrated in country operational plans, and public sector responses. Further, the private sector has increasingly become deemed by the donor fraternity as a key partner. Therefore, an organisation representing the interests of the private sector is needed to co-ordinate initiatives, and partner with governments and donor agencies." 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. The advisory committee meets regularly, which has helped to shape the direction of the PABC. Subsequent achievements of the PABC have been to:
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. Clive Tasker, the CEO of Standard Bank Africa, said at the conference: "The HIV pandemic continues to hinder our progress towards healthy communities. We are now moving down the road from simply fighting the pandemic to winning the battle. The PABC is about positive action." In his address, Mears highlighted the roles of a number of those organisations that have assisted in the creation of the PABC. Standard Bank/Stanbic "The PABC has received considerable support from Stanbic in achieving impact across the African sub-continent. To this end Standard Bank/Stanbic and the PABC have agreed that where there are identified organisational weaknesses within a country coalition, Stanbic will endeavour to second appropriate personnel from within the bank to the coalition." GTZ (Deutsche Gesellshaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit) "The GTZ has provided technical assistance over the last five years to a number of business coalitions in Africa, including but not limited to those in Namibia, Malawi, Kenya, and Mozambique. The GTZ is offering to continue providing the technical assistance, but through the auspices of the PABC. In addition to this, the GTZ has provided financial assistance with respect to the establishment of the PABC website, as well as the legal registration of the organisation." GBC (Global Business Coalition on HIV, TB and Malaria) "The GBC has since 2006 provided the PABC with a range of secretariat services." Mears said: "With much-needed support from the GTZ, the legal registration of the PABC has commenced. In order for the PABC to become functional, it needs to become a legal entity, with proper governance structures, sound financial management, and the appointment of full-time staff to administer the organisation." The conference runs from Tuesday, 20 May to Thursday, 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 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 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.
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. Although there is a business plan, which sets out how the full operationalisation of the PABC is anticipated, a revised strategy on how the organisation will be launched needs to be delineated.