By InvestAdvocate

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Access Bank Plc, Africa’s topmost Bank is empowering about 2000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to help prevent the prevalence of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Tuberculosis and Malaria through a workplace policy initiative in four African Countries.

The Bank Thursday held a Workshop in partnership with Friends Africa of the Global Fund Africa to enable SMEs in these Countries acquire the right tools needed to establish and implement Workplace policy for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

A Statement from the Bank by Olusegun Fafore, Media/Public Relations and made available to www.investadvocateng.com, affirmed that Access Bank is helping to prevent these diseases in Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda and Zambia.

“Access Bank in partnership with the Friends Africa of the Global Fund Africa (Friends Africa) is scaling up the prevention and treatment of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through the Workplace Policy Workshops for 2000 Small and Medium Enterprises, (SMEs) in four African countries namely Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda and Zambia. The workshop will kick-off in Lusaka, sail through Kigali and then, Lagos, before its ship finally berths at Accra in November” the Statement said.

According to the Statement, the initiative is focused on enabling SMEs acquire the right tools needed to establish and implement workplace policy for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria. “This will increase the knowledge of these key issues of global concern, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, in the workplace; increase accessibility to treatment and prevention programme across Africa and decrease stigmatization” the Statement affirmed.

Access Bank further said the programme will be implemented through a workshop approach, with sessions holding in Lusaka, Kigali, Lagos and Accra while there will be a webinar (online education) conducted for interested SMEs in various locations. “This collaboration between Access Bank and Friends Africa is yet another demonstration of African institutions commitment to solving the continent’s problems” the Bank said.

“HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria are no longer viewed as only health problems but as part of a broader development crisis. These three pandemics disproportionately affect Africans more than any other continent in the world.

Records have it that in 2007 alone, there were 1.6 million HIV/AIDS deaths, about half a million Tuberculosis deaths occur annually and 90% of global malaria deaths occur in Africa. These three diseases have been identified as the leading cause of death in Africa, and consequently have always had a negative impact on the economic progress of the continent” the Statement said.