Challenging Partnerships: GTZ and Private Sector Commitment to the Fight against HIV/AIDS at the Workplace in Africa

This report documents the collaborative efforts of private business and development cooperation in the context of the struggle against HIV/AIDS in Africa. Compiled and published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), active in public-private cooperation since 2000, the report presents case studies of GTZ-sponsored collaborations across southern and eastern Africa. The report discusses the outcomes of these partnerships, and is intended to help development cooperation organisations obtain a better understanding of private sector efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.

The key programmes that the report investigates with respect to public-private cooperation for the purpose of HIV/AIDS education and support in the workplace are:

• Prevention activities
• Medical care and treatment
• Human resource management - ensuring trust and transparency
• Community outreach
• Baseline data: the foundation for planning and monitoring
• Motivating and satisfying management: long-term commitment versus quick solutions
• Strengthening AIDS teams
• Capacity building at all levels

The GTZ case studies include the DaimlerChrysler Group in South Africa, the Heineken/Bralima in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Lafarge/Mbeya Cement Company in Tanzania, and the Agriflora Ltd. in Zambia.

The report concludes that the role of private businesses in the socio-economic development of underdeveloped societies has enormous potential for supplementing national and regional responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in southern and eastern Africa.

"A dramatic leap in economic and social progress will be possible only if the private sector assumes a decisive role. The AIDS challenge is the biggest threat to African development today. The way private businesses respond to it will be a prime indicator of national strength. It is reasonable to create public private partnerships to help the private sector live up to its needs, expectations and potential as long as there is evidence that such support increases corporate social responsibility and improves the lives of the population."