Gabon

Key Results in 2022-2023

Around 100 000 adolescents and young people accessed information on sexual and reproductive health and HIV through various initiatives, including digital platforms, a mobile clinic and schools.
Access to and quality of HIV treatment services improved following capacity building of healthcare providers, decentralization of services and better procurement systems.
National Strategic Plans for malaria and HIV were finalized and resource mobilization efforts accelerated progress and improved sustainability of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria responses.

Joint Programme Results

In Gabon, the Joint Programme support enabled the Government to scale up HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health literacy and services to curb new HIV infections among adolescents and young people. As part of the QG Jeune digital project, 20 000 people were reach with HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health messages and 7500 adolescents and young people accessed HIV prevention and testing services through mobile clinics operated by three civil society organizations with support from the Joint Programme. The newly launched Hello Ado mobile application reached 15 000 young people with information on HIV, sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence and drug use. In addition, 40 representatives of youth organizations were sensitized on HIV, sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services among adolescents and young people (UNFPA).

In Estuaire, Haut Ogooué and Moyen Ogooué provinces, 528 teachers and 77 school counsellors, social workers and health staff received training and subsequently conducted comprehensive sexuality education for over 40 000 students thanks to the technical support from the Joint Programme (UNFPA). An additional 384 teachers and support staff from high schools and training centres also received trainings on sexual and reproductive health and rights, while 224 learners and young leaders built their capacity to run health clubs (UNESCO). Besides, 19 733 students were sensitized on sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and drug use through awareness-raising activities organized in pre-primary, primary and secondary school in four cities. More than 60 young people received guidance to better communicate on the Education Plus initiative while adolescent girls and boys from Gabon held dialogues with women ministers and parliamentarians on their concerns, proposed solutions and vision (UNFPA).

HIV incidence per 1000 uninfected populations

Source: AIDSinfo

AIDS mortality per 1000 population

Source: AIDSinfo

Progress towards 95-95-95 targets

Source: AIDSinfo

Access to HIV prevention and sexual health commodities was scaled up through the distribution of 3.4 million condoms and contraceptives; the launch of the KISS condom social marketing programme; and the development of a reproductive health platform for young people. More than 7000 young people have also accessed these services through a mobile clinic during the fourth quarter of 2023 (UNFPA).

Intense advocacy and technical support from the Joint Programme facilitated the procurement of antiretroviral medicines through the Wambo platform and the mobilization of funds for the first delivery scheduled for June 2024 (WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). To further improve the health outcome of people living with HIV, 90 healthcare providers and public health managers received trainings and follow up supervision to build their capacity in managing drug resistant/susceptible tuberculosis including increased knowledge of the new WHO guidelines, and procurement of patient management tools. The Government, with the Joint Programme support, established 16 new HIV care sites in eight health departments and distributed 1000 treatment guides to scale up decentralized services in Nyanga and Ogooué Maritime provinces between 2022 and 2023. Additionally, 2500 HIV viral load testing kits were donated to the National AIDS Programme to improve access to these services among vulnerable people living with HIV (WHO).

Services for the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV, early infant diagnosis and viral load monitoring services were also scaled up in 2022-2023. Over 410 healthcare providers increased their capacity in delivering prevention of vertical transmission or point of care services. GeneXpert machines are now operational in 9 out of the 11 point-of-care sites in Gabon with trained laboratory technicians to use them (UNICEF, WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat).

Nearly 11 000 sanitary pads were distributed in various communities throughout the country to meet the basic menstrual hygiene needs of women and girls. This initiative also allowed to raise community awareness on the importance of hygienic menstrual management and promoted the empowerment of women and girls in relation to reproductive health (UNFPA). In 2023, 700 kits of reusable sanitary towels were distributed in vocational training establishments alongside awareness-raising campaigns on menstrual hygiene. In addition, following a training initiative, 155 pre-primary and primary school supervisory staff and school principals from six provinces have increased capacity to integrate sexual and reproductive health education into school curricula, thereby consolidating health and prevention efforts for young people and adolescents in Gabon. Eight activity books were also developed to reinforce health education for students in pre-primary and primary schools (UNESCO).

The Joint Programme provided strategic support for the evidence-informed review and finalization of the National Strategic Plans for malaria and HIV/AIDS to accelerate progress and supported the development of funding requests to further improve responses’ sustainability (UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat).