Paper short abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the issues surrounding the participation of the private sector, a financially self-sufficient actor, in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ivory Coast, a country characterized by its strong aid dependency.

Paper long abstract:

In Ivory Coast, a country where HIV/AIDS is generalised (prevalence of 3,7%), only 29% of people in need of treatment have an effective access. To reach universal access, two of the main challenges are to provide effective coordination between the plurality of actors involved in the public action and to reduce the strong dependency on international aid (87% of the budget)

In this context, some of the large private companies appear as strategic actor, insofar as they are able to initiate self-sufficient and innovative actions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the participation of a financially self-sufficient actor, the private sector, within a public action characterized by its strong aid dependency.

At first, we will see that since the private sector programmes concerning HIV/AIDS are primarily self-funded, they operate outside the national and international framework of coordination and control. As a consequence, risks are present regarding the gap between their public declarations and the real impact of their action and the increased vulnerability of the employees.

Then, we will show that international funding for the private sector provided through « projects », such as the support to its mobilization or the development of private/public partnerships, are inappropriate with private business functioning and contribute to governmental disengagement.

This paper is based on an analysis of qualitative research involving actors of 30 large private companies (doctors, HRD, trade union, employees) and of active organizations in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the private sector in Ivory Coast.