Patronage of condoms in parts of Accra has increased significantly as the euphoria of the 26th Africa Cup of Nations (Ghana 2008) heightens. Enquiries made by the Daily Graphic indicate that about 1.5 million free condoms have so far been distributed by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), while sale of the product at some commercial outlets has also shot up. The shopping mart at the La Beach Shell Filling Station, opposite the twin plush Labadi Beach and La Palm Royal Beach hotels, is making good business as sale of the product has increased since last week. The price of condoms at the shop ranges from GH¢1.50p to GH¢4 and according to the salesgirls, the high patronage is mostly at night. The story at Megapharm, a pharmaceutical shop in Osu, is however, different as the sale of condoms goes "one by one", according to sales attendants. The GAC intends to distribute five million condoms during the three-week Ghana 2008 tournament, targeting hotels, including those hosting the national teams, restaurants, entertainment centres, "hot spots" and any place in the country where Ghana 2008 activities are centred. It is anticipated that there would be an increase in sexual activity during the period of Ghana 2008. Already, there are reports of a booming commercial sex business in the four host cities of Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi/Takoradi and Tamale. The sex workers are allegedly charging different rates for clients who use condoms and those who do not use condoms or what is popularly referred to in the industry as BBC (body-to-body contact). The intervention by the GAC is, therefore, to encourage people to avoid unprotected sex and to ensure that the country's HIV prevalent rate is checked. The Commission has given out about 7,000 condoms to some hotels and entertainment centres, which consignment GAC officials envisage, will last for two weeks after which more will be supplied. "The response has been tremendous", Mr Sam Anyimadu-Amaning, Chairman of the GAC Condom Promotion Programme told the Daily Graphic, indicating that some hotels and restaurants had contacted the commission to collect some of the products. "For us, it is very good in the sense that the education is catching up and people are now buying into it", he added. At the Labadi Beach Hotel where the Atlas Lions of Morocco are based and Novotel where the Namibian national team is based, hotel officials confirmed that they had received consignments of condoms from the GAC. An official at the Labadi Beach Hotel said the hotel received 7,200 of the condoms, adding that they were being highly patronised. He, however, added that the patrons of the condoms were mostly staff of the hotel and other individuals who came around. According to the official, the condoms were not meant for the high class guests of the hotel although he noted that there was a shop at the hotel where condoms were sold to guests who needed them. Sources at Novotel also confirmed that the condoms distributed by the GAC were moving quickly. At the Alisa Hotel (North Ridge) where the Guinean national team is based, sources at the front desk said they were not aware of any condoms brought in by the GAC. Checks made at other hotels, such as Wangara. Hotel at Labone and Lake Bosumtwi Hotel at Osu Ako-Adjei, showed that the distribution van of the GAC was yet to reach them. Information gathered at all the hotels visited, apart from Novotel, indicated that aside the GAC programme, condoms were not given out to guests of the hotels. According to a management official of Hotel Wangara, providing condoms in hotel rooms was provocative, adding that many guests detested that idea. Mr Anyimadu-Amaning, who is also the Chairman of the Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET), an umbrella organisation of HIV/AIDS institutions, said since last week when the programme was rolled out, it had gone on very well. He said the commission had so far received three million condoms through the Ministry of Health out of the five million condoms initially planned for distribution. He said the programme was not limited to the Ghana 2008 tournament, pointing out that the commission would continue the distribution after the tournament. Mr Anyimadu-Amaning said some of the condoms had been given out to the West Africa Project to Combat Aids, an organisation that deals with commercial sex workers, to ensure that areas outside the hotels were also adequately covered. Source: Daily Graphic