By Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey
Accra, Oct. 30, GNA – Ghana is exploring local and regional production of HIV medicines and other essential health commodities to strengthen supply security and sustain the national HIV response.
The initiative seeks to reduce the country’s reliance on international supply chains and vulnerability to fluctuations in external health financing. It also aims to strengthen national capacity to sustain HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services.
Dr Alhaji Abubakar Wayo, Chief Director at the Office of the President, announced this at the 15th National HIV and AIDS Partnership Forum in Accra on Thursday.
The forum was held on the theme, “40 Years of HIV Response in Ghana,Celebrating Partnerships, Transforming Lives,
Sustaining the Future”.
It brought together stakeholders to assess progress in the national HIV response and explore ways to mobilise resources to sustain the gains.
Dr Wayo said the COVID-19 pandemic and pressures on global health financing had exposed the risks of depending heavily on international supply chains for essential health commodities.
He said the Government would consider evidence-based proposals for domestic and regional production of HIV medicines, diagnostics and other essential products.
“Local production should complement, rather than disrupt, access to quality-assured commodities already available through established procurement arrangements,” he said.
He appealed to government agencies, research institutions, pharmaceutical manufacturers, regulators and development partners to identify viable manufacturing opportunities.
Dr Wayo said Ghana’s progress in the HIV response over the past four decades had relied on partnerships among government institutions, international development partners, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and communities affected by HIV.
He stressed that sustaining the response required stronger domestic financing and national capacity to maintain essential services.
Dr Wayo advocated innovative financing mechanisms, responsible private-sector contributions and increased budgetary allocations for HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care.
He emphasised that improved access to HIV medicines must be matched by stronger prevention efforts.
“National estimates indicate that Ghana recorded 13,951 new HIV infections and 12,051 AIDS-related deaths in 2025, while an estimated 337,435 people were living with HIV,” he said.
These figures, he noted, underscored the need to maintain a reliable supply of medicines while expanding targeted prevention programmes to reduce new infections.
Dr Wayo advocated wider access to voluntary HIV testing, self-testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis and accurate health information, particularly for young people.
He also stressed the need for stronger measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Pregnant women living with HIV, he said, must receive timely treatment and support.
People who tested positive must be linked promptly to appropriate care and supported to remain on treatment, he added.
Dr Wayo asked ministries, departments and agencies to assess how their policies, programmes and budgets could support the national HIV response.
“Metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies must incorporate relevant HIV interventions into local development plans and community programmes, using available resources and lawful funding arrangements,” he said.
Dr Wayo appealed to traditional authorities, religious leaders, educational institutions, employers and civil society organisations to support public education, HIV prevention and access to services.
The private sector, he said, should introduce workplace HIV awareness and wellness programmes, facilitate access to appropriate services, and adopt policies that protect confidentiality and prevent discrimination.
Dr Wayo also stressed the importance of regularly monitoring progress in prevention, testing, treatment continuity and viral suppression. Monitoring should also cover efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission and reduce stigma and discrimination.
He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to working with stakeholders to strengthen national ownership of the response, improve access to essential services and help end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey