The conference, which attracts thousands of stakeholders from across the globe, is organised by the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA). It is the first time a West African country will host the event, which will also mark the 35th anniversary of SAA.

It is sad to note that as fervent preparations are being made towards hosting this conference, the country is still grappling to get 95 per cent of infected people on treatment.

At a press briefing to assess the country’s control efforts concerning the disease, it came to light that more than half of the people living with HIV/AIDS have not sought the life-saving antiretroviral therapy treatment (See Daily Graphic, Saturday, July 5, 2025, page 13).

The briefing revealed that the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) 2024 national and sub-national HIV estimates and projections report that 334,721 people living with HIV, accounting for 47 per cent of that population, were currently on antiretroviral therapy treatment, with 52.6 per cent not on treatment. 

The commission described the situation as “alarming” and warned about its potential to disrupt national efforts to control the epidemic, as the current situation, it said, had put the lives of the entire population, including non-HIV patients, at risk.

According to the Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the GAC, Isaiah Doe Kwao, the figures fell short of the global 95-95-95 targets set by the United Nations programme for HIV and AIDS, UNAIDS, for 95 per cent of people living with HIV to know their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed to be on treatment and 95 per cent of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression.

Although the government has implemented free HIV testing and treatment services, trained healthcare workers, and introduced innovative approaches such as HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), not much positive results seem to be coming out as new infections continue to increase by the day, especially among vulnerable populations such as prostitutes and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) population.

While significant strides have been made in providing antiretroviral therapy (ART), challenges persist in ensuring that all people living with HIV have access to and adhere to treatment, as stigma and discrimination continue to be significant barriers to accessing HIV testing and treatment services.

To help curb this situation, the Daily Graphic believes that more needs to be done, such as targeted interventions among groups at high risk of the infection, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, long-distance truck drivers and migrant workers.

There is a need to intensify prevention efforts, including promoting safer sex practices, managing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), ensuring safe blood transfusions and eliminating mother-to-child transmission.

Also, we believe that the country should go back to the ABC of prevention, that is: Abstinence, Being faithful and Condom use, to ensure that the youth, especially those who are sexually active, can adopt condom use to protect their future.

We call for a massive campaign to increase treatment for those who need it and safeguard the rest of the population.

The paper calls for public education campaigns to intensify the promotion of safer sexual practices and reduce stigma to make it easier for people to seek testing and care without fear of exposure.

The Daily Graphic further calls for improved access to medication by streamlining taxation processes to resolve issues hindering the release of donated antiretroviral medications, such as Abacavir/lamivudine, which are stuck at the harbour due to tax waiver requirements.