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Cote d’Ivoire is the country most affected by HIV/AIDS in West Africa. Most of the communes are hard hit by the scourge, a good example being Abengourou which has a prevalence rate of 14.6 per cent against the national figures of between 10.5 and 12.5 percent. Overall statistics show about 1 million people already infected. The political and military conflict, which began in 2002, has greatly hampered the national response to HIV/AIDS with many people now unable to get proper health care and medication, particularly in the conflict zone.
Because of social instability, increased violence, and the deteriorating economic situation, the gross mortality rate attributable to HIV infection is expected to increase to around 53 percent by the end of 2005. This situation has resulted in a massive displacement of people (as many as 800,000), both within and across the country’s borders, and has increased poverty and the marginalization of some population groups.
Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is further exacerbated by the behaviour of risk groups and various forms of aggression. There are an estimated 8,500 transactional sex workers, and more than 15,300 children living on the streets mostly in Abidjan and six other major towns. The Commune of Abengourou is conducting a pilot project with a view to the elaboration of a municipal Action Plan against HIV/AIDS. However, there are some obstacles such as traditional values, fear, stigmatisation, illiteracy, poverty, conflicts of generation and lack of communication between the Municipality and the population. They intend to devise a Community Profile so that the crisis is better understood, along with its impacts on households, the local economy and communal management.
Despite all these problems there have been national responses to fight HIV/AIDS. Côte d'Ivoire was the first country to host an International Conference on Mayors and the role of Local Government in the fight against HIV/AIDS in December 1997. It has also formed the Alliance of Mayors Initiative for Community Action on Aids at the Local Level (AMICAALL), a National Strategic Plan against HIV/AIDS 2002-2004 and created an HIV/AIDS ministerial portfolio. Priority actions for the city include prevention, care, treatment, employment for HIV/AIDIS sufferers, assistance, and the promotion of voluntary counselling and testing centres, as well as brining local leaders into the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Finally, as a way forward they hope to sensitise the Municipal Council and other actors in Abengourou, in quest of:
- An impact assessment of HIV/AIDS in Abengourou on the basis of reflections during Nairobi workshop, for a better understanding of local situation such as the consequences for local socio-economic and service delivery.
- Training of local actors on appreciative inquiry and community conversations methods
- Support to the associations of Mayors against HIV/AIDS.
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