The Ministry of Health warns that insufficient HIV/AIDS treatment coverage in Ghana threatens national epidemic control efforts.
At the 23rd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2025), Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh presented Ghana’s 2024 National HIV Estimates, reporting 15,290 new infections and over 12,000 AIDS-related deaths in the previous year. Of the 334,721 individuals living with HIV, more than 18,000 are children under 15 years old.
Despite the burden, only 47.5% of adults and 35.8% of children with HIV receive treatment. The Minister calls this the main obstacle to epidemic control.
Emphasizing the broader implications, Mintah Akandoh highlighted the critical need to address inequalities that hinder access to treatment. Key populations, such as female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender individuals, continue to encounter considerable barriers due to stigma and discrimination within the healthcare system.
The Minister also pointed out the vulnerability of young people, noting that adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24 represent nearly one-third of all new infections. Adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately affected due to ongoing gender inequalities, a trend he described as profoundly concerning and a significant contributor to the treatment gap.
Despite some advancements — including a 90% treatment success rate among those currently receiving care and a 99.3% prevention-of-mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) rate — over 160,000 diagnosed individuals remain without treatment. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh cautioned that this presents a considerable challenge to achieving Ghana’s 2030 objective of eradicating AIDS as a public health threat.
“Our national estimates for 2024 indicate significant advancements alongside considerable challenges,” he stated. “In Ghana, there are around 334,721 individuals living with HIV, which includes more than 18,000 children under the age of 15. The prevalence among adults is 1.49%, with 15,290 new infections and 12,614 deaths related to AIDS reported in the previous year. On a positive note, the percentage of those receiving treatment has reached 90%, and the prevention rate of mother-to-child transmission is at 99.3%.”
