On behalf of the Society for AIDS in Africa, I welcome all guests present here this evening;
His Excellenceies - Ministers of Health and Foreign Affairs
Chairman, NACA - Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin
Director General, Nigeria Television Authority
All UN representatives - UNICEF, UNDP, UNAIDS
Representatives of World Bank, WHO, USAID DFID, ECOWAS, NEPWHAN, McArthur Foundation, Civil societies and donor agencies Celtel Nigeria, Enhance, Pathfinder,
Media representatives in our midst
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In response to the most devastating epidemic that has threatened the existence of Africa as a continent, and with the firm belief that Africa must take its own destiny in its hand to overcome the millennium development challenges, posed to Africans by AIDS, a few African scientists, activists and advocates came together in Marseille during an International conference on HIV/AIDS in Africa in 1989 to form the Society for AIDS in Africa, with a mission to promote policy environment and advance research on HIV/AIDS in Africa to support the national responses.

Since its inception, the Society for AIDS in Africa had used the organization of ICASA in various African countries to achieve its various objectives.

Even though, it is believed that SAA had been able to achieve some of its initial objectives through the International conferences on HIV/AIDS and STIs which had been held 14 times now however, the challenges posed by AIDS are daunting and we need to move forward and realign our strategies

The Society however, recognizes the need to be more proactive, more involved and more responsive to the ever changing dynamics of the epidemics on the continent, to shape the African responses through direct interaction with national regional and continent efforts, thus, responsive, providing leadership both in the area of research, influencing and promoting policy environment, hence the need for the Society to reposition itself globally.

While the Society’s Guiding Principles which include: Independence, Human Rights and Dignity, Information sharing, cooperation beyond borders Networking, remain unchanged, however its scope of operation and strategies will be expanded to include African focused research, promotion of favorable policy environment and good practices, enhancing support services and treatment training of young African scientist, and boarding its operational base.

We need to participate more in the development of country specific advocacy strategies, capacity building for policy makers to catalyze appropriate policy formulating process, facilitation of knowledge and information management. Establishment of regional and national branches of SAA and boarding the scope of SAA as the authoritative body to push Africa’s agenda on HIV/AIDS forward is our immediate focus

This functional secretariat is to facilitate the SAA objectives and assist SAA in the proper organization of the next ICASA which is in Gabon in Dec. 2007. It is expected that a new Executive council of SAA will be put in place in 2007, when the location of the permanent Secretariat for SAA will be determined.

Thank you once again for gracing this occasion/reception. We sincerely look forward to a good working relationship with all stakeholders in the fight against AIDS in Nigeria, in Africa and the world at large.