Magnitude of the HIV/AIDS Challenge

Since HIV/AIDS was first diagnosed in 1981, the disease has escalated at unprecedented rates and is now widely acknowledged as a catastrophe to mankind. HIV/AIDS is no longer just a medical issue, but a development crisis.

HIV/AIDS in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has been worst hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, accounting for 70% of the world’s HIV/AIDS cases. Estimates suggest that by the end of 2002, some 25.3 million people on the continent were living with HIV/AIDS, while some 17 million have already died (UNAIDS, 2002). Most of those are (or were) in the ‘prime’ of their lives, in the age group 15 to 49 years old – the main labor force of agricultural economies.

HIV/AIDS in West Africa

HIV/AIDS statistics in West Africa are quite alarming. Seven countries are believed to have reached or surpassed 5% HIV prevalence in the general population. AIDS epidemiologists indicate that 5% is the threshold after which significant proportion of population begins to succumb to the disease (UNAIDS, 2002). In West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso could lose 24% and 20% of their work forces by 2020, if current infection rates continue unchecked (FAO, 2002).