First Lady Mrs. Lordina Mahama has lauded her colleagues for their commitment over the last year to the fight against HIV & AIDS on the continent.

Speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mrs. Mahama said, “It is important that all hands are on deck in the fight against HIV & AIDS.”

The First Lady and her colleagues are in Ethiopia attending the 13th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV & AIDS (OAFLA). She described discussions during their Steering Committee meeting as very constructive.

“All my colleagues have demonstrated their commitment towards the fight against HIV & AIDS, and I am extremely delighted about the level of seriousness members have shown here today”, Mrs. Mahama who is the Vice President for West Africa of OAFLA stated.

Mrs. Mahama who is a UNAIDS Premier Ambassador has over the last one year worked with the Ghana AIDS Commission on public advocacy and awareness creation about HIV. She has also been a champion for the Commission’s Mother to Child HIV Prevention campaign.

The OAFLA Steering committee meeting discussed the report of the technical advisors to the First Ladies, and the Organisation’s strategic plan for 2014 to 2018.

They will also be discussing a revised constitution, rules of procedure, marketing campaign and continuous capacity building programmes for the Technical Advisors.

The Technical Advisor of the Ghana chapter of OAFLA, Dr. Angela El Adas, who is also the Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, disclosed that the technical committee would finalise the Strategic Plan by March this year.