By Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey, GNA
Rio de Janeiro, July 31, GNA – Ghana is strengthening its health system to support the introduction of new HIV prevention technologies amid declining international funding and changing global healthcare priorities.
The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) says the strategy will focus on integrating HIV services into primary healthcare while preparing the country to deploy emerging prevention medicines, including long-acting injectable therapies.
Dr Emmanuel Teviu, Programme Manager of the NACP, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He said although long-acting HIV prevention medicines such as Lenacapavir represented a major scientific breakthrough, their impact would depend on the strength of national health systems.
“Lenacapavir is a game changer, but it is not just about having the medicine, we need trained health workers, effective procurement and supply chains, monitoring systems and strong service delivery before we can successfully implement it.”
Dr Teviu said Ghana had incorporated the twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention medicine
into its national HIV guidelines and was preparing for its eventual introduction.
He said the country had also benefited from the experiences of countries already implementing the medicine and would apply those lessons when it became available.
Dr Teviu said Ghana’s response to declining donor funding would be to deepen the integration of HIV services into the primary healthcare system to improve efficiency and sustainability.
“We have a mature health system from the community level to the national level. People can access HIV services through CHPS compounds, health centres and district hospitals, the next step for us is to strengthen integration so that services become more accessible and more efficient,” he said.
Dr Teviu said the NACP and the Ghana AIDS Commission would also work to reduce duplication of HIV programmes and maximise available resources as the country adapted to the changing global financing landscape.
He said Ghana’s “Test and Treat” strategy, under which everyone diagnosed with HIV is immediately started on treatment, remained on course with support from international partners.
Dr Teviu said oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) was available for people at substantial risk of HIV infection, including female sex workers and HIV-discordant couples, while Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) continued to be provided to individuals seeking care within 72 hours of potential exposure to the virus.
He said those biomedical interventions complemented established prevention measures, including abstinence, mutual faithfulness and consistent condom use.
On the global “Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U)” campaign, Dr Teviu said people living with HIV who consistently adhered to antiretroviral treatment could suppress the virus to undetectable levels and therefore could not transmit HIV sexually.
He said Ghana would intensify HIV education, particularly among young people, while ensuring prevention messages reflected changing behaviours and emerging technologies.
Dr Isaiah Doe Kwao, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ghana AIDS Commission, said Ghana had made a notable scientific contribution to AIDS 2026.
He said between six and eight abstracts by Ghanaian researchers and institutions were presented during the conference, covering stigma and discrimination, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, workplace well-being, human rights and community-led HIV interventions.
Dr Kwao said a researcher from the University of Ghana received an international scholarship for research presented at the conference, while a Ghanaian civil society organisation also received international recognition.
“Our young scientists are rising to the occasion, they are producing quality research that is contributing to the global HIV response and placing Ghana on the international scientific map,” he said.
The four-day conference concluded on Friday with renewed emphasis on translating scientific
advances into equitable access to HIV prevention and treatment through stronger and more resilient health systems.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
31 July 2026
Reporter Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey
Email: [email protected]