US embassy cable - 03ABUJA496

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 000496 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID/W FOR AFR/WA, MICHAEL KARBELING 
LAGOS FOR ADMIN 
 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY -- THIS IS A CORRECTED VERSION OF 
ABUJA 493, CORRECTING ALL TEXT.  PLEASE CANCEL ABUJA 493 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: PRESIDENTIAL BUSINESS FORUM ON HIV/AIDS 
 
REFS: (A) ABUJA 2651 (B) ABUJA 03297 
 
 
1. Summary:  On Saturday morning February 15, 2003, President 
Olusegun Obasanjo invited approximately 50 managing directors of 
Nigeria's most influential national and international companies 
to the Presidential Villa to discuss the creation of a Nigerian 
Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS.   By the end of this meeting, 
the managing directors of Chevron/ Texaco and MTN, the leading 
Nigerian wireless communication company, had accepted to co-chair 
the Coalition along with the President, and the business leaders 
had agreed upon an organizational meeting in Lagos in March. 
The President acknowledged at length the pioneering role of 
Ambassador Howard F. Jeter in advancing the involvement of the 
business sector through his luncheons with the U.S. business 
community focused on the national HIV/AIDS effort (see above 
referenced cable 03297).  The Chairman of the National Action 
Committee on AIDS (NACA) also acknowledged the pivotal role of 
Ambassador Jeter in this area and of USAID in its support of 
NACA.  In less than 6 months, as a result of Ambassador Jeter 
and USAID's interventions with the US business community, the 
involvement of the business sector in the HIV/AIDS effort has 
gone from an idiosyncratic affair to one of organized public 
commitment. 
 
 
2. Remarks by the NACA Chairman:  After words of welcome by 
President Obasanjo, the Chairman of NACA, Professor Babatunde 
Osotimehin, opened the Presidential Forum by reviewing the 
epidemiological profile of HIV prevalence in Nigeria and the 
Federal Government of Nigeria's response to date.   He cited 
the contributions of major donors, including USAID, to the 
national effort and reported that the federal government and 
donors have pledged over US$400 million in HIV/AIDS funding 
for the next three years.   Professor Osotimehin also stated, 
however, that Nigeria would require at least US$ 500 million 
annually for the next 5 years to contain the epidemic.  He 
cited the following activities as the most critical ones to be 
implemented: a) mass campaigns to raise public awareness and 
scale up community involvement; b) voluntary counseling and 
testing (VCT); c) care and support interventions, especially 
treatment of opportunistic infections and the scaling up of 
antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programs; d) services 
targeting particularly vulnerable groups such as long distance 
truck drivers, sex workers and youth both in and out of school; 
and e) the continuing need for capacity building for all levels 
of actors. 
 
 
3.  Quoting Lee Smith, former President of Levi Strauss that 
'It is inevitable that a company doing business in the 
developing world will pay for AIDS, it is just a question of 
when and how much', Professor Osotimehin then proceeded to 
outline potential private sector contributions to the national 
effort.  These included i) company HIV/AIDS policies ii) 
awareness programs that include workplace discussion; iii) peer 
education; iv) IEC materials; v) condom distribution; vi) 
in-house counselors and VCT services; vii) post ' exposure 
prophylaxis policy and procedure; viii) ARV treatment and ix) 
home based care for AIDS symptomatic employees. 
 
 
4.  Professor Osotimehin emphasized, 'The earlier the Nigerian 
business community engages with the issue, the greater the 
chance it has to mitigate the types of economic impacts already 
seen in Southern Africa'.    He quoted a recent study undertaken 
by the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association to underscore 
the critical need for greater business sector involvement. 
According to this study, only 24% or slightly less than one 
quarter of managers in the private sector perceive the potential 
impact of HIV/AIDS on business concerns; only 32% or less than 
a third of firms undertook employee HIV/AIDS activities in 
fiscal 2001; and 45% or almost half of employees receive 
information about HIV/AIDS only from outside their workplace. 
 
 
5. As an outstanding instance of business sector involvement, 
Professor Osotimehin commended Coca Cola for the use of its 
trucks for distribution as a major contribution to the massive 
awareness campaign.  He also offered the following examples of 
how other companies might contribute: i) telecommunication 
companies: assistance in tele-networking, management 
information systems and monitoring and evaluation; ii) oil 
and related companies:  technical assistance in project 
management and procurement; iii) other subsectors: 
contributions of their marketing skills, use of brand to 
carry messages, e.g. cell phone companies could display 
short HIV messages on a regular basis, provide toll free 
numbers for hotline information services; iv) hotel industry: 
provision of information and commodities to guests.  He 
concluded this portion of his remarks by suggesting that all 
companies could espouse the 'Adopt a PLWA concept'.  In this 
way, according to Professor Osotimehin, needy people living 
with AIDS (PLWA) would receive assistance and the business 
sector would also help reduce stigma. 
 
 
6. Specifics of Business Sector Involvement:  However, 
Professor Osotimehin was empathic that he was asking for more 
than private sector policies and programs.   In his words, 
'involvement of the private sector should go beyond the 
workplace' we are also asking the private sector to add its 
core competencies to the overall response.   The NACA 
Chairman then summarized his request for private sector 
involvement as i) the establishment of work place initiatives; 
ii) the extension of these initiatives to the immediate 
communities where the companies work; and iii) active 
participation in the national response, e.g. private sector 
participation on the NACA board and, especially, in the 
establishment of the Nigerian Business Coalition Against 
HIV/AIDS. 
 
 
7. President Obasanjo's Remarks:  Both in his impromptu and 
prepared remarks, President Obasanjo echoed the theme of 
Ambassador Jeter during his organizational luncheons with the 
U.S. business community and by the NACA chairman in his 
presentation to the Forum.   That is, even more than its 
financial resources, the business sector involvement in 
the national effort must include the contribution of its core 
competencies.    In his opening remarks, the President 
specified that it was not the financial resources of the 
business sector that he wanted but rather their involvement 
in the national HIV/AIDS effort: 'Don?t give me money, just 
help me put an end to HIV'.   In his prepared remarks, the 
President reiterated this sentiment, 'Ladies and 
Gentlemen for the avoidance of doubt let me state quite clearly 
that this event is not meant to be seen as a fund raising 
exercise but one that seeks to raise the consciousness of 
corporate Nigeria to the facts about the epidemic and seek 
to recruit this important sector to join us in the fight. 
We expect that 'the private sector will allow us to utilize 
their core competencies in the fight and also let us share part 
of their sunk costs to leverage the fight.'. 
 
 
8. Epidemic Impact on Nigeria: President Obasanjo began his 
prepared statement by discussing the economic threat of HIV/AIDS 
to the economy of Nigeria.  He said that the pandemic is 
threatening 'the fabric of our economy' and that 'Nigerians 
cannot afford to wait any longer to redeem themselves from this 
dreadful infection'That is why I have called you together?. 
President Obasanjo also stressed that the burden of the epidemic 
is greatest in Africa.   He quoted UNAIDS statistics that of the 
40 million people infected with HIV, 28 million of these are in 
sub-Saharan Africa and that of the 14 million children 
orphaned by AIDS, 11 million of them are in the region.  The 
President also estimated that the number of Nigerians infected 
with HIV is between 3.4 million and 4.5 million.    This latter 
figure represents the highest estimate of the number of HIV 
positive persons in Nigeria ever given publicly by a top Nigerian 
official. 
 
 
9. National Intelligence Council Report Quoted:  The President 
also quoted at length the recent National Intelligence Council 
report on the five 'next wave' countries that will double or 
triple the number of global HIV/AIDS cases by 2010.  Reiterating 
his previous theme, the President stressed that of these five 
countries--- Nigeria, China, India, Russia and Ethiopia---two 
are in sub-Saharan Africa.  According to President Obasanjo the 
consequences of this report on Nigerian international 
relationships is immense.  To quote the President, 'The 
implication of this report is that all nations of the world 
will be focusing on Nigeria and its reaction or response to the 
epidemic.  If nothing is done quickly, this will affect our 
bilateral, economic and political relations with other 
countries'. 
 
 
10. Marching Orders to the Business Sector: President Obasanjo 
ended his address by specifying his requests to the business 
sector:  'We are looking forward to your organizations setting 
up workplace initiatives and within the larger context of 
communities in which you work you will contribute to the national 
response'.Furthermore we also see today's forum as the beginning 
'of constructive engagement' we propose to launch the Nigerian 
Business Council (sic) on HIV/AIDS which I will co-chair 
with two other distinguished leaders from the private sector'The 
Council will be expected to provide the platform for subsequent 
discussions and decisions for the private sector in their effort 
to stem this epidemic'. 
 
 
11. Appreciation of Ambassador Jeter:  Before concluding his 
address, President Obasanjo cited the contribution of Ambassador 
Jeter:  'I particularly will like to extend the gratitude of our 
government to the American Ambassador Howard Jeter who 
independent of our thinking has institutionalized a 
consultative process with the American community in 
Nigeria sanitizing (sic) them to the HIV/AIDS situation in Nigeria. 
We believe a good number of them are here today because of this 
interaction'.   Professor Osotimehin who credited the Ambassador 
for initiating efforts with the business community on behalf of 
the national HIV/AIDS effort echoed this appreciation.   He also 
singularly expressed appreciation of USAID for its support of this 
effort and for its support of NACA. 
 
 
12. Appointment of Two Business Sector Co-Chairs:  Before he left 
the Forum to begin campaigning in the Delta, President Obasanjo 
invited Jay Parson, the Managing Director for Chevron/Texaco, 
and Adrian Wood, the Managing Director of MTN, the leading 
wireless communication company in the country, to co-chair with 
him the Nigerian Business Council on HIV/AIDS.   In his words, 
'I will not chair but will co-chair' we will be in the driver's 
seat together' and to emphasize this point he called the two 
co-chairs to sit with him at the Presidential Podium for the 
media to record this event.   Parson immediately assumed the 
mantel of responsibility and promised to convene a meeting of the 
business sector in March.   In his words, 'We will combine 
collective talents and skills and we will come back with 
decisions and strategies for the way forward'. 
 
 
13. Summary:  The success of this Forum must and will be 
judged by the future actions initiated by the Nigerian Business 
Coalition on HIV/AIDS.  However it was a remarkable event and 
one that six months ago would have hardly been imaginable. 
The dynamic leadership of the new NACA Chairman who appears to 
have the confidence of the President has created a milieu for the 
national HIV and AIDS effort in which such innovation and 
concerted effort can occur(see above referenced cable 2651). 
Professor Osotimehin immediately took advantage of the 
opportunities resulting from Ambassador Jeter's initiative with 
the U.S. business community and the technical assistance and 
knowledge of the business world offered by the USAID consultant, 
Mr. Percy Wilson.  The results of the luncheons proved that many 
businesses in Nigeria either were already involved in some more 
or less idiosyncratic fashion or that they were ready to become 
involved.  These luncheons obviously were the stimulus behind 
and inspiration for this groundbreaking Forum. Mr. Wilson has 
become a confident of the NACA Chairman and mentors his 
dealings with the business community.    In conclusion, the 
Mission would like to express its appreciation of AFR/SD for 
their role in the initiation of this activity with the offer 
of a consultant, Mr. Wilson, to develop a pilot business related 
activity in Nigeria. 
 
 
JETER