January 2005

Hitting back hard at a hidden enemy in Africa

Quite apart from the wild cards of politics and economics, sub-Saharan Africa faces the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Striking most heavily at the economically active sectors of the population, the condition poses threats both to individuals and the companies they work for. Now Sandvik has taken a lead in the engineering sector by being among the first international companies to offer free anti-retroviral drugs to employees in Zambia...

Twenty years ago Zambia was a wealthy country by African standards with much of that prosperity founded on the huge copper deposits in the border areas between Zambia and Congo. It’s a different story today. The copper deposits are still there and still rank among the world’s biggest, but Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the region.

The vicissitudes of international commodity markets and downwardly mobile pricing have not helped, but copper is still the mainstay of Zambia's economy. To get the best from this abundant natural resource at today's modest prices, mining companies have to be that much more efficient.

That's where modern tooling, advanced hardmetal technology and state-of-the-art know-how lend a literal and metaphorical cutting edge to maintaining economic production. And that's why Sandvik's Mining and Construction division operates there.

But there's a problem; a public health problem that affects all countries in the region and threatens to devastate even the richer economies. It has a number of names but is most commonly known as HIV/AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

It is estimated at one in five Zambians carries the HIV virus, and malaria and tuberculosis are also widespread. They are all lethal contributing factors that limit a brief average adult lifespan to only 32 years.

"This is a problem that affects us on a daily basis, and if nothing is done about it Zambia will lose 20 per cent of its workforce by 2020," says Ruth Mubita, head of Human Resources for Sandvik in the country. "I devote a quarter of my working life to the HIV/AIDS situation."

But Sandvik is doing something about it. For the past two years the company has been engaged in a programme that provides free anti-retroviral drugs for staff and their families as well as confidential advice and testing. Free condoms are available under the programme.

The company's initiative is freely admitted to be driven by more than humanitarian considerations. With its business in Zambia rapidly expanding, Sandvik needs to attract and keep staff. In the past two years the company has expanded more than three times from 128 to 435 employees.

It has become one of the largest mining equipment service providers and it is investing substantial sums in training service technicians.

That fact alone is sufficient to justify its AIDS campaign.

Anti-retroviral drugs are expensive, especially so in the developing world, and they might be seen to represent a major employee benefit. Initially, however, few employees were willing to join the programme and agree to be tested.

"We have many challenges to overcome," says Ms Mubita, "the main one being to get employees to understand that we guarantee confidentiality of test results and treatment. Many are afraid of losing their jobs and being rejected by their colleagues, friends and family if it is revealed that they tested positive. Some people don't realise that they will be able to function normally with the efficient medicines available today."

The results of a staff survey two years ago showed high levels of prejudice and lack of knowledge across the board. Education and advice have consequently become important aspects of the programme.

"I agreed to be tested to increase the credibility of our message," says Ruth Mubita. "To raise knowledge and awareness among employees we are focusing on dialogue in the work teams, and to date we have trained 50 of a planned 65 'workmate trainers'."

And things are improving. There are now around 20 employees and their families who are receiving drugs paid for by Sandvik, while one HIV-positive employee has revealed that he is infected, and says he feels much better as a result of the drug therapy.