AFRO-NETS> President Obasanjo of Nigeria to Receive 2002 AIDS Leadership Award

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President Obasanjo of Nigeria to Receive 2002 AIDS Leadership Award
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President Obasanjo of Nigeria to Receive 2002 AIDS Leadership Award 

The Harvard AIDS Institute will present President Olusegun Obasanjo 
with the 2002 Leadership Award at a special ceremony in the Nigerian 
Capital, Abuja on February 20, 2003

Abuja, Nigeria  The Harvard AIDS Institute is honored to announce 
that His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Federal Re-
public of Nigeria, will be the recipient of the AIDS Leadership Award 
for 2002. President Obasanjo has demonstrated exceptional leadership 
in addressing the AIDS crisis in the international community, as well 
as in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Each year the Harvard AIDS Institute?s International Advisory Coun-
cilco-chaired by Mr. Maurice Tempelsman and Mrs. William McCormick 
Blair, Jr.join with its senior faculty to select a leader who has 
displayed outstanding vision, leadership, and courage in the world?s 
struggle against AIDS. 

?The depth of President Obasanjo?s commitment has awakened others to 
the urgency of the AIDS epidemic,? says Professor Max Essex, chair of 
the Harvard AIDS Institute. ?The President?s leadership in addressing 
the epidemic is truly remarkable, because he has consistently encour-
aged candid dialogue on HIV while working tirelessly to mobilize re-
sources both in Nigeria and internationally.? 

The award presentation will be at a special ceremony on February 20, 
2003, during a four day Think Tank: HIV Vaccines for Developing Coun-
tries: Prospects for an HIV Vaccine for West Africa, from February 18 
to 21, 2002. It is being co-sponsored by the AIDS Prevention Initia-
tive in Nigeria (APIN), the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Fogarty 
International Center of the United States National Institutes of 
Health.

This think tank will afford researchers an opportunity to examine key 
HIV/AIDS issues affecting West Africa and to consider specific re-
gional questions concerning the development of a sub-type specific 
vaccine. Partner countries from our HIV/AIDS collaborative programs -
- Botswana, Senegal, and Tanzania -- have hosted the think tank se-
ries, initiated in 1996. 

Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, with more than 120 
million people. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS 
(UNAIDS) has reported that at the end of 2001, 5.8 percent of adults 
in Nigeria were living with HIV. AIDS has already orphaned at least 
one million Nigerian children. 

In 1999, after years of military dictatorship, Olusegun Obasanjo be-
came Nigeria?s first freely elected president in 15 years. Since 
then, he has made AIDS a top priority on the national agenda. He has 
supported and endorsed the work of the AIDS Prevention Initiative in 
Nigeria (APIN), an international program directed by Dr. Phyllis 
Kanki, Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard 
School of Public Health. 

In August 2001, while many heads of state remained in denial about 
the gravity of the AIDS epidemic, President Obasanjo urged the coun-
try's military commanders to provide their troops with free condoms 
to curb the spread of AIDS. In March 2002, he became the first Afri-
can leader to host the Organization of African Unity Summit on HIV 
and AIDS. In that same month the President once again demonstrated 
the importance of leadership when he convened a national forum, 
HIV/AIDS in Nigeria: The Road Ahead, that brought together major 
stakeholders in the fight against the epidemic, including government 
agencies, non-governmental organizations, religious leaders, and do-
nor agencies. 

At the United Nations in September 2002, President Obasanjo declared 
"We as people and governments of Africa have resolved to take our 
destiny in our own hands. We are determined to succeed in our desire 
to make the 21st century the century of Africa." 

The President?s open and frequent discussion of the AIDS epidemic has 
allowed numerous HIV prevention and research programs to flourish and 
obtain new funding from international aid agencies. The formation of 
the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) was designed as a na-
tionwide coordinating body, and has been instrumental in developing 
the HIV and AIDS Emergency Action Plan (HEAP) and its integration in 
the US$ 90.3 million World Bank credit to the country. 

The Federal Ministry of Health has been supported to design and im-
plement a national program to prevent mother to child transmission of 
the virus as well as a nationwide program to deliver ARV therapy to 
those already infected. President Obasanjo has set an example to 
other African leaders in the establishment of such bold programs. 

?I am especially honored to pay tribute to President Obasanjo, says 
Mr. Maurice Tempelsman. ?His outstanding work against AIDS has begun 
to change the lives of his citizens and the future of his nation. I 
appreciate the opportunity to salute him for his tireless dedication 
and to hope that his bold actions will truly inspire others to commit 
themselves to finding solutions that will change the course of this 
epidemic.? The Harvard AIDS Institute is dedicated to promoting re-
search, education, and leadership to end the AIDS epidemic in Africa, 
Asia, and other resource-scarce settings. 

Visit the Harvard AIDS Institute web site at:
http://aids.harvard.edu. 

Contacts: 
Harvard AIDS Institute
Bridín Byrne
Tel:. +1-617-432-6106

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