 has raised concern over low condom use among young people, particularly adolescent girls and young women, describing it as a major setback to efforts aimed at reducing new HIV infections in the Volta Region.){kind=link}
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has raised concern over low condom use among young people, particularly adolescent girls and young women, describing it as a major setback to efforts aimed at reducing new HIV infections in the Volta Region.
According to the Commission, the Volta Region currently has 19,078 people living with HIV (PLHIV), representing 5.7 per cent of Ghana’s total PLHIV population of 334,721. The figures include 4,999 males aged 15 years and above, 12,881 females aged 15 years and above, and 1,198 children.
The Volta Regional Technical Coordinator of the GAC, Mrs Mary Naa Asheley Anyomi, disclosed the data on Monday during the inauguration of the reconstituted Volta Regional Committee of the Ghana AIDS Commission in Ho.
She revealed that the general HIV prevalence rate in the region stands at 2.1 per cent, with significantly higher rates recorded among key populations — 4.3 per cent among female sex workers (FSWs) and 28.1 per cent among men who have sex with men (MSM).
Mrs Anyomi further indicated that the region has recorded 809 new HIV infections, made up of 221 males aged 15 and above, 519 females aged 15 and above, and 69 children. She added that antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage across the region’s 18 districts ranges between 38.4 per cent and 61.5 per cent, highlighting gaps in treatment access.
She noted that HIV intervention programmes in the Volta Region are largely donor-funded and limited in coverage, raising sustainability concerns. In addition, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV continue to discourage testing, treatment uptake, and disclosure, further complicating the fight against the disease.
Outlining the way forward, Mrs Anyomi called for the expansion of HIV testing services, including community-based testing programmes to reach remote and marginalised populations. She also stressed the need to intensify education on condom use and ensure condoms are readily available and accessible across the region.
The newly inaugurated nine-member Regional Committee is chaired by the Volta Regional Minister, Mr James Gunu. In a speech read on his behalf, he reaffirmed the Volta Regional Coordinating Council’s commitment to supporting all GAC initiatives aimed at ending AIDS by 2030.
“Together, we will work to ensure that all municipalities and districts in the region have active and functional Ghana AIDS Commission committees, with all stakeholders playing their respective roles,” the minister stated.
Mr Gunu urged members of the committee to carry out their responsibilities with diligence, passion, and integrity.
Other members of the committee include representatives from the Ghana Health Service, Network of Associations of Persons Living with HIV, a Civil Society Organisation, the Ghana Education Service, the Volta Region House of Chiefs, and the Ghana AIDS Commission.