WASHINGTON - Shell Oil wants to put AIDS prevention posters at service stations throughout Africa. Coca-Cola may invite local health care workers into its management training courses. And Puma is likely to peddle anti-AIDS messages alongside its shoes.

In what AIDS activists call a long-overdue development, multinational corporations doing business in Africa are beginning to join the front lines in the fight against the deadly disease, which infects more than 25 million people on the continent.

While some large corporations in sub-Saharan Africa have set up programs to test employees for AIDS, few until now have volunteered their expertise in helping to prevent the transmission of the disease or distribute health supplies to remote regions.

"Perhaps the two most under-tapped areas in fighting AIDS are the developing countries themselves taking initiatives and the private sector getting involved," said Robert Hecht, who has led a Geneva- based team at UNAIDS to seek out corporate commitments. "Even if African governments five years from now put up 5 percent or 10percent of the money, it's a major encouragement if outside parties, businesses, contribute significantly as well."

In recent months, said Hecht, several large corporations have approached UNAIDS saying that they would like to get involved. It came after United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan made specific appeals to corporations to lend their expertise and resources to fight AIDS as well as the launching of a Global AIDS and Health Fund, which has so far attracted nearly $1.4 billion in pledges.

Of that, a disappointing $1,010,695 has come from five corporations. Winterthru Insurance gave $1 million by itself in early June. It had hoped other companies would soon follow its example.

AIDS activists aren't looking just for donations, though. In the case of Coca-Cola, for instance, the company's far-reaching distribution system could help deliver AIDS testing kits and condoms. Coca-Cola, the largest private sector employer in Africa with about 100,000 workers in marketing and bottling plants, already is storing education materials in Zambia for distribution as well as assisting in the marketing of a program for women in Nigeria to attend prenatal clinics.

"This is definitely part of Coca-Cola's desire and effort to help Africa as well as be a valued and trusted member of the local community," said company spokeswoman Natalie Rule. "We want to use our infrastructure, our presence in local communities. We want to help in providing our marketing expertise to develop public awareness and information campaigns. And we're looking more internally at our human resources policies in Africa."

Hecht, who also cited the Shell and Puma offers of help, said that private corporations possess some of the best transportation and distribution systems on the continent.

"You go to very remote parts of countries, the mail might not make it, electricity may not be there, medicines may not be in the health centers, but Coke makes sure that its drinks are in the small shops," he said.

Richard Holbrooke, formerly the longtime US diplomat and now president of the Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS, said in an interview that he hopes to expand the nonprofit organization from 20 to 200 businesses, each paying $25,000 to join.

"So far in the fight against AIDS, corporations have done a tiny fraction, significantly less than 10 percent, of what they ought to be doing, or what they could do," Holbrooke said. "I understand that businesses need to do things in their own interests, so we have to show businesses that it is in their own interests to work on this problem."

In Africa, he said, that shouldn't be difficult. "In many places, they have to now hire three workers for every two jobs, or two workers for every job, because of the death rates from AIDS. AIDS is decimating businesses," Holbrooke said.

The Corporate Council of Africa, which represents the largest US companies in Africa, will release a report next week that will highlight best business practices to battle HIV/AIDS. But it also will call for much greater participation to stem the crisis.

First, companies should look at helping their own employees, said Joe Sills, who was cochairman of a task force studying the issue.

"A corporation is going to come out far better by dealing initially with AIDS in its work force and trying to provide information to its families, than simply saying, `This is going to cost a lot of money up front.' In training middle management, if these people drop like flies from AIDS, it will cost them a fortune," Sills said.

The task force strongly recommends voluntary and confidential AIDS testing as long as it is permitted in the host country, Sills said.

"The next stage will be to help with the marketing of the message" against AIDS, he said. "The question many have is why did companies wait so long? We do make the case very strongly that if a company pays attention to AIDS in its work force and follows socially responsible practices, that will give it a competitive advantage."

Asia Russell of the Health Gap Coalition, a US-based organization that fights for lower AIDS drug prices, said she strongly supports more assistance from corporations. But she questioned some of the motivations.

"It's almost like some are making statements to calm investors above all else. They talk about doing the right things for the wrong reasons," she said. "I think we need to force this question of what corporations should be doing in order to make use of their incredible wealth to serve the interests of not just their own employees, but all the people of Africa."

John Donnelly can be reached by e-mail at donnelly@globe.com.