Roland Ogbonnaya
17 September 2008
Accra Ghana — The private sector in Africa has been called upon to show more commitment in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the three major pandemics that have been devastating the African population.
Ghanaian Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, made the call yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Friends Africa three-day seminar on grassroots non-governmental organisations capacity building in Accra, Ghana.
He said for the continent to effectively fight the challenges posed to Africans by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, there was need for business men to support the Global Funds, by making funds available to eradicate the three pandemics.
"I also call on Africa's business community to engage in the business of saving lives. They need to do this, because they should use their resources to support healthier bodies and minds, the most important factor of production.
"AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria kill six million men, women and children each year, that comes to 16,000 people each day. The three pandemics have hit Africa the hardest with close to 70 per cent of the worldwide infections and 75 per cent of all AIDS related deaths in 2007 taking place here in sub-Sahara Africa. In addition, about 60 per cent of malaria cases worldwide and more than 80 per cent of malaria deaths also occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
"The region also accounts for 30 per cent of new tuberculosis worldwide. These three pandemics are devastating our human resources, thereby taking a toll on Africa's most vulnerable people. But we recognise that AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are all preventable and treatable diseases," Mahama said.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
