Dakar — A panel discussion on ways of ending AIDS in Africa took place on Sunday in Dakar, Senegal, under the theme, "Ending the AIDS epidemic as an economic investment: Creating human resources in cities and most affected regions."
The focus on cities owes to urban population density, as explained by Takiwaa Manu, Director of the Social Development Policy Division at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
"Cities and urban spaces play a critical and leading role in fast-tracking the AIDS response and actions taken in cities will determine national and global success in ending the epidemic by 2030. With high population density, cities account for higher proportion of people living with AIDS and other diseases. The risk and vulnerability to TB and HIV infection, for example, are always higher among urban youth."
The New Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, adopted by all member states during the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Ending AIDS in June 2016, calls on countries to Fast-Track the AIDS response towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
There's also the 90-90-90 target, which means that by 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90% of all those diagnosed with HIV will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
Badara Samb, Director of Special Initiatives at the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), explained that achieving the 90-90-90 target is imperative and urgent.
"If we achieve 90-90-90 by 2020 we'll be able by 2030 to claim the end of the AIDS epidemic. But at the same time if we don't achieve this by 2020, we'll be living with the HIV/AIDS epidemic for generations. As of today, we are at 60-77-81"
Mr. Samb however cautioned that this goal might be hampered by the current shortage of health workers in many countries. Citing WHO figures, he said "about 2 million community health workers are needed to meet the 2020 target."
The issue of shortage of health workers was buttressed by Emmanuel Nnadozie, Executive Director of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF),who said there is room to engage Africa's diaspora.
"We have to think of tapping into the intellectual and financial capacity of Africa's diaspora to tackle this issue."
In his keynote remarks, Sierra Leone's deputy minister of finance and economic development, Momoh Vandi, said that his country has made significant strides in tackling AIDS.
" We have 710 health facilities providing HIV testing and 304 of them providing treatment. Out of the estimated 53,000 citizens who are HIV positive, 17,000 are currently receiving treatment."
The deputy ministers also noted that a number of tax measures have been taken to raise domestic resources to fight fight AIDS.
The event was jointly organized by the ECA, AUC and UNAIDS as part of activities for African Development Week 2017. Panelists included representatives from UNAIDS, UN Habitat, WHO, ECA, ACBF, the Pan African Association of Surgeons, government of Sierra Leone, and the civil society.
The panelists were generally optimistic about the success of the 90-90-90 target, if sufficient strides are made is cities as frontline of the fight against AID
