Monday morning, at the first Plenary Session, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo kicked off ICASA by officially announcing the formation of a continent-wide Pan African Business Coalition to help deliver HIV prevention, treatment and care to Africa. "This is the time to show results, commitment and focus," the President said.

Peter Piot, director of UNAIDS, which is a partner in the effort, said business will play an increasingly important role in a "new era of implementation " in Africa. "Our one concern is to make the money work," he said.

In the afternoon, a panel of experts chaired by Brad Mears (SABCOHA) was held to present the ins and outs of the Pan African Business Coalition.

The coalition does not only aim to get companies to establish HIV prevention and treatment programs for workers, but also encourages firms to use their distribution networks, organizational expertise and other strengths to mount an effective campaign against HIV/AIDS in Africa.

According to B. Mears, the short-term goals of the Pan African Business Coalition include the collection of best-practice examples of workplace programs to combat HIV/AIDS, and efforts to share them with the business community across Africa. 

"In the context of a globalizing economy, the private sector is no longer myopic to the fact that it has a direct role to play in overcoming socio-economic threats once believed to be the territory of governments and NGOs," Brad Mears told about 200 leaders from government, business and international groups who gathered at a Leadership Forum to discuss the coalition following President Obasanjo's announcement.

The coalition which has already forged ties with the Global Business Coalition, the World Bank, UNAIDS and the International Labor Organization also aims to form strategic business partnerships with NEPAD (The New Partnership for Africa's Development), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the International Chamber of Commerce and the African Union.

Current members of the coalition are Botswana, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Donald de Korte, who heads MSD's AIDS-related programs in Africa, said the company was committed to making the coalition as successful as possible.

He also said that the effort will extend beyond programs to treat HIV-positive employees at the workplace and will encourage industry to use its distribution networks, organizational expertise and 'can-do' philosophy to beat back AIDS.

Over the past four years, MSD has been providing its anti-retroviral medicines at not-for-profit prices throughout Africa. It has also supported the formation of business coalitions to fight AIDS within various countries, including Kenya, Malawi and the Ivory Coast.