Accra, Nov. 27, GNA - An HIV/AIDS workplace project
was on Monday launched for revenue agencies to
reduce the level of employment related
discrimination against People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
The project, which also aims at reducing risk
behaviour among workers, brought together
participants from the Customs, Excise and Preventive
Service (CEPS), Value Added Tax (VAT) Service and
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Professor Sakyi Awuku Amoa, Director General of the
Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), in a speech read on his
behalf by Mr Kyeremeh Atuahene, Research Coordinator
of GAC, said the project was targeted at over 4,000
workers since the HIV epidemic affected the
productive workforce between ages 15 years and 49
years.
"The Commission has within the last three years been
making serious efforts to encourage the
implementation of workplace policies and programmes
in public and private sector organizations," he
said.
Prof. Amoa said the need to ensure that HIV/AIDS
became a business issue could not be underestimated
because of the profound impact of the disease on
workers and their families, enterprises and the
economy as a whole.
He noted that it was imperative for corporate bodies
to take responsibility to manage HIV/AIDS at
workplaces and put in place effective workplace
policies and interventions to address the effect of
the epidemic.
"The revenue agencies play a major role in the
management of the national economy", he said, and
commended the German Technical Corporation (GTZ),
the Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet)
for the programme.
Mr Peter Linder, German's Ambassador to Ghana, noted
that the fight against HIV/AIDS has become an
important aim of the German Development Cooperation
worldwide and said HIV was the most single and
important obstacle to socio-economic progress in
Africa.
He urged various governments, private institutions
and non-governmental organizations to complement
each other's effort in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Major Ablorh Quarcoo (rtd), Commissioner of IRS,
pledged to take full responsibility in ensuring the
good health of the workers.
Mr Peter Minlah, VAT Commissioner, also pledged the
Service’s commitment in terms of financial resources
to make the project a success.
Mr Emmanuel Doku, CEPS Commissioner, pledging his
support for the project, and thanked the GTZ.
Mr Eric Boakye, HIV Focal Person at CEPS, encouraged
the participants to go for voluntary counselling and
testing, saying, "the difference between HIV and
AIDS was not hopelessness but carefulness".
GNA
