There is no clear indication of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the IT industry in southern Africa, but an expert has predicted that the pandemic will likely have a large-scale effect on this sector in the near future.
Speaking at the Gartner Symposium ITxpo 2005, in Cape Town, Professor Alan Whiteside from the University of KwaZulu-Natal said defining the direct impact of HIV/AIDS on the IT sector would be complex. However, the disease could have a similar impact on the IT industry as it has on other industry sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa, he added.
Whiteside, who is the director of the health economics and HIV/AIDS research division at the university, highlighted three key challenges that the IT industry is facing in terms of HIV/AIDS. These include prevention, care and treatment, and the social and economic impact.
However, alluding to global trends, Whiteside pointed out that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS does not seem to harm foreign investment, but this may change if a country appears not to be dealing with this social issue.
He speculated that the skilled workforce in the IT sector in the southern Africa is most likely vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, but added that no formal studies have been done to establish this.
He noted that replacing a skilled workforce takes time and could have dire economic consequences.
Whiteside said the southern African IT industry could do a lot to fight the pandemic, mainly in terms of medical technology advances.
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