Poverty eradication, panacea to HIV and AIDS control – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said that for Africa to successfully fight the HIV and AIDS scourge, its leaders must take bold steps to eradicate poverty.
Jonathan made the assertion at the opening of a second high level meeting of the Global Power Women Network Africa, held in Abuja.
The group is a network of highly-placed women in Africa, who seek to advance gender equality and women empowerment, especially in the areas of reproductive rights and HIV and AIDS.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of State 1 for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, is the Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee of the meeting.
At the end of the two-day meeting, Onwuliri is expected to take over the presidency of the group from the incumbent, Hon. Thokazani Khupe, the Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
NAN also reports that the patrons of the group, Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Joyce Banda of Malawi, were present at the opening of the meeting.
Jonathan, who declared the summit open, said that African leaders must go beyond the provision of free test kits and anti-retroviral drugs to effectively confront the scourge of the HIV and AIDS.
“For us in Africa, to fight AIDS, we must also fight poverty, African leaders must ensure that we create wealth for the citizens,’’ he said.
In buttressing his point, the president recalls a programme he initiated when he was governor of Bayelsa.
He the state government was given N10,000 to each person living with HIV and AIDS, in addition to free drugs.
Jonathan said owing to the level of poverty, some indigenes of the state fraudulently claimed to be HIV positive just to earn the N10,000.
“There was a case of a man who came to the office with three of his children, he said himself and the three children, were positive.
“They went for the interview and did the test, but discovered that there was nothing wrong with the four of them.
“There was also a case of a lady who was living with her mother and two siblings. When she tested positive, the mother drove her away.
“She said she cannot live with an HIV positive person because of fear of infection.
“When the information got to our centre, the lady was employed and also provided with accommodation.
“In addition to her salary, she was earning the N10,000, for food supplement.
“When the mother got to know, she packed with the two other children to live with her,’’ he said.
The president said that the administration would soon launch a national roadmap in the fight against HIV and AIDS that would address all affiliated challenges.
He identified unequal access to education, health care and vulnerability of girls and women as another major challenge faced by the continent.
Jonathan said African leaders must demonstrate the willingness and commitment to address gender equality as a crucial strategy to achieve sustainable development and attainment of Millennium Development Goal.
“We urge all nations, all sub-national, all sub-national bodies and all local authorities and even communities to make sure that they create opportunity for the girl-child as they do for the boys.
Giving statistics of the HIV and AIDS in Africa, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said 69 per cent of the 34 million people living with HIV and AIDS across the world at the end of 2011 lived in Africa.
Okonjo-Iweala said that one out of 20 adults in the continent was living with HIV, while women and young people were specifically vulnerable.
According to her, the latest statistics from UNAIDS, women comprised more than 50 per cent of those living with the disease.
She said there was a need to address cultural and structural inequalities which persisted for girls and women in order to make significant progress on issue of HIV and AIDS.
The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr Michel Sidibe, said there were eight million people on HIV and AIDS treatment in Africa.
He said 66 per cent of infected adults were women, while 41 per cent of new infection were young girls of 15 to 21 years.
Sidibe said there is the urgent need for African leaders to empower the women economically and educationally to correct the trend.
Other dignitaries at the event are First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Amina Sambo, the First Lady of Chad, Mrs Hinda Derby.
Also in attendance are the First Ladies of Saharawi Republic and Ethiopia, female ambassadors and Ministers from African countries.