By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu, GNA
Prampram, May 20, GNA – The Ningo-Prampram District Assembly (NiPDA) has inaugurated a nine-member District HIV/AIDS Committee to coordinate and strengthen the district’s response to HIV and AIDS.
The committee is expected to serve as the principal coordinating body responsible for the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of HIV and AIDS interventions within the district.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mr Raphael Uriel Nartey, District Chief Executive for NiPDA and Chairperson of the committee, described the event as a significant step toward consolidating the district’s multisectoral response to HIV and AIDS.
Mr Nartey charged members of the committee to uphold commitment, compassion, discipline, and unity in carrying out their responsibilities, stressing that those values were critical to promoting effective health education, prevention strategies, voluntary HIV testing, support for affected persons, and the elimination of stigma and discrimination.
He noted that the district’s growing population and geographical spread required strong collaboration among stakeholders to effectively address HIV and AIDS-related challenges.
He encouraged members to use their expertise, institutional knowledge, and experience to help reduce new HIV infections and contribute to national efforts aimed at ending AIDS as a public health threat.
The nine-member committee was subsequently sworn into office, taking both the oath of office and the oath of secrecy.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Nana Amoako Acheampong, representative of the Ghana AIDS Commission, placed the committee’s mandate within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3, which seeks to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
He emphasised that effective district-level coordination remained crucial to achieving both national and global HIV/AIDS targets.
According to him, strengthening local structures and stakeholder collaboration would help improve prevention, treatment, education, and support systems within communities.
The ceremony brought together key stakeholders, including representatives of the Ningo and Prampram Traditional Councils, representatives from the Christian and Muslim communities, a representative of the Network of People Living with HIV, and the District HIV Focal Person.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Kenneth Odeng Adade