A delegation from the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) is in Ghana to assess the country’s readiness to host the 23rd edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
The delegation led by the President of SAA, Dr Parirenyatwa David Pagwesese, as part of their work in the country, paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra.
The SAA President was accompanied by Dr Emmy Chesire, a Board Member of the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) and Luc Armand Bodea (ICASA Director/Coordinator at SAA Permanent Secretariat).
President Akufo-Addo said Ghana is proud of its commitment to fighting against HIV/AIDS over the years.
He said the opportunity to host the conference in Accra is in line with the country’s commitment to dealing with the menace and would underpin the awareness of the disease and showcase to the world the country’s efforts towards its eradication.
“The hosting of the conference will direct the minds of the entire world not just to the disease but also to the location of the conference in terms of our contribution to the fight against it.
“That is something that we find very fruitful to highlight,” he emphasised and added that “it is one event that would require inviting other heads-of-states to fully participate in and all those issues were straightforward issues which would be dealt with at the appropriate forum.”
President Akufo-Addo explained that even though the conference would take place after his term of office had expired, he was positive that his successor would fully participate in it and ensure a very successful conference.
“I’ve almost exhausted the terms, but my successor will be in this seat and God willing it will be somebody from my party who will succeed me and definitely whoever it is, we obviously will have to take it seriously to be present on such an occasion,” he said.
Recounting Ghana’s performance in dealing with the disease, the Minister of Health Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, said the country’s prevalence rate currently is 1.5 cent and this was the lowest on the continent.
He said even though the prevalence rate was 1.5 per cent, the situation was a bit different when it comes to prison inmates in the country as their prevalence rate is 2.3 per cent and that of those who use and inject drugs stood at 2.5 per cent.
The figure, he said, was a bit higher amongst special groups such as female sex workers 4.6 per cent, 26 per cent in men who have sex with men and 48 per cent in transgender women.
“So, these are some of the special groups that usually the national program targets to make sure that they get attention and we can reduce their rates further down,” he stressed.
Dr Pagwesese on his part, said the Society was in Ghana to conduct an assessment and apprise itself of the country’s preparedness towards hosting of the ICASA.
He explained that ICASA hosts various conferences within the African Region and its mandate is to promote the fight against HIV and AIDS on the continent and has been doing so for the last 35 years.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
