By 2010 sub-Saharan Africas total labour force is expected to shrink by 9 per cent due to HIV/AIDS, with losses topping 20 per cent in the worst affected countries, a United Nations-organized workshop has been told.
By 2015 these losses could reach up to 12 per cent overall, reducing the labour supply by as much 30 per cent to 40 per cent in the highest prevalence countries.
Over hundred representatives from the public and private sectors attended a two-day policy dialogue last week in Accra, capital of Ghana, organized by the UN Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA) in collaboration with ILO-AIDS, part of the UN International Labour Organization, to offer policy makers recommendations to reduce the impact of the pandemic on the continents labour force.
Workshop participants called for greater collaboration between the public and private sectors and emphasized the need for leadership from all major sectors of industry.
The issue of access to treatment and care was also one of the key points of the discussions between representatives of the private and public sectors.
CHGA is a UN system-wide initiative, involving partnerships with a number of UN agencies as well as leading institutions in Africa and internationally on aspects of research, policy and implementation.
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