Panafrican News Agency - December 18, 2001
Mahame urged the private sector to also commit financial and materials resources in addition to engaging in promotional activities to prevent and manage the disease, especially at workplaces.
Manufacturers should also consider labelling their products with HIV/AIDS messages to create awareness on the disease, he said at a seminar in Accra for representatives of the government, labour and employers to discuss the framework and guidelines for their collaboration.
Mahama stressed the need for the government and private sector to work closely to confront the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS.
"As a nation struggling to take itself out of poverty, it is important to acknowledge the enormity of the responsibilities ahead of us regarding the HIV/AIDS pandemic," he said.
"In the particular case of workplace HIV/AIDS, it is crucial for the private sector to closely work with the government to bring the epidemic under control," the Vice President said.
According to the International Labour Organisation, HIV/AIDS was eroding decades of development gains, undermining economies and threatening the security and stabilisation of societies in affected countries.
ILO estimates that at least 23 million workers were living with HIV, a majority of them aged between 15 and 49 years.
The UN labour agency says the epidemic was a major threat to world of work because it affects the most productive segment of the labour force and reduces earnings by imposing huge costs on enterprises through declining productivity, absenteeism, medical costs, death and loss of skills.
A recent study in Ghana indicated that businesses were reporting significant numbers of deaths resulting from HIV/AIDS.
About 95 percent of AIDS cases were in the active productive group of 18 to 49 years, the study said.
The Executive Director of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Bridget Katrisku, said though the disease had not reached a crisis level in Ghana, the situation could explode in the near future.
She said that though companies and organisations such as the Ghana Employers' Association had developed anti-HIV/AIDS programmes, it was important for them to work under the tripartite approach for their efforts to be focused and streamlined in line with government policy.
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