Making a public-private partnership work--an insider's view. Interview by John Maurice.

In November 1999, Dr Amadou Diarra was appointed senior director of Bristol-Myers Squibb's Secure the Future Initiative. Launched 18 months ago, this public-private partnership is seeking, together with the governments of nine African countries, innovative ways of reducing the transmission and the impact of HIV/AIDS, especially on women and children, through interventions involving medical care, research, community outreach, and education. Diarra, who was brought up in West Africa, had previously worked for about a decade with the company's Africa division. Last November Bristol-Myers Squibb joined four other major pharmaceutical manufacturers and five intergovernmental agencies in supporting the UNAIDS initiative for Accelerating Access to HIV Care, Support and Treatment. Diarra played a significant role in laying the foundations for Bristol-Myers Squibb's commitment to both of these public-private partnerships. He shares with John Maurice his views on what it takes to make a successful partnership of this kind.