Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, a Deputy Chief of Staff, has called for Ghana’s HIV response to be repositioned within a sustainable domestic financing framework to ensure long-term health sovereignty.

She said such a shift was essential to achieving the country’s goal of ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030.

“If we are truly committed and we want to ensure that HIV as a public health threat is ended by 2030, we must, as a matter of priority, reposition our national HIV response within a domestic financing framework,” she said at the 14th National HIV and AIDS Partnership Forum in Accra.

Madam Addo emphasised that such a framework must reflect self-reliance, efficiency, equity, consistency, and innovation.

She urged government institutions, civil society organisations, private sector actors, and traditional authorities to strengthen collaboration and reorient national priorities.

“If we are to end AIDS by 2030, we must prioritise prevention, repurpose our budgets, harness innovation, and unlock domestic capital through good governance and partnership discipline,” she added.

Madam Addo called on the private sector, including pharmaceutical companies and researchers, to make modern tools and innovations available to enhance Ghana’s HIV response, while community leaders and traditional authorities promote responsible lifestyles and reduce stigma.

“Ending HIV/AIDS in Ghana should be funded by Ghanaians and lovers of Ghana. It should be addressed by resilient systems built by Ghanaians for the protection of all Ghanaians. We do not wait for support; we build the support,” she stated.

She noted that donor interest in HIV interventions had declined significantly since Ghana’s first recorded case in 1986, making domestic financing and innovation more critical.

Citing data from the Ghana AIDS Commission, the Deputy Chief of Staff said over 334,000 people were currently living with HIV in Ghana, with women accounting for 68 per cent.

In 2024, 12,614 people died of HIV or AIDS-related illnesses.

She said the abrupt withdrawal of a $78 million USAID health support package had exposed the fragility of Ghana’s dependence on external aid.

Madam Addo commended ongoing government initiatives, including the National HIV Response Sustainability Roadmap, the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative (to be launched in January 2026), and the Ghana Medical Trust (Mahama Cares Initiative), which aim to extend health coverage to people living with HIV.

She said these efforts aligned with President John Dramani Mahama’s Reset Agenda to build a self-sustaining, data-driven, and resilient national health system.

The Acting Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kharmercelle Prosper Akanbong, said the forum served as a strategic platform for accountability, coherence, and joint action.

He highlighted progress made since the last forum, including the launch of the National HIV Response Sustainability Roadmap, Cabinet approval of the revised National HIV and Wellness Policy, and the development of a new National HIV/TB-Related Human Rights Strategic Plan.

Dr Akanbong cautioned that domestic seed funding for the National HIV and AIDS Fund remained outstanding and that financing gaps continued to threaten the sustainability of the national response.

He urged stakeholders to strengthen partnerships, support local production of HIV commodities, advance rights-based interventions, and intensify education to eliminate stigma and discrimination.

Representatives from UNESCO, the Global Fund, NAP+ Ghana, and the Ghana Employers Association delivered solidarity messages, commending Ghana’s progress and pledging continued support for the national response.