Ghana

Key Results in 2022-2023

Capacity building of healthcare providers, new guidelines and procurement of commodities strengthened HIV prevention and testing services, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and prevention of vertical transmission among young women.
Health and HIV education benefited more than 350 000 adolescents and young people, including young people with disabilities in and out of school.
Ghana joined the Global Partnership for Action to Eliminate all Forms of HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination. Training reinforced capacities of healthcare workers to address stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, and community-led monitoring was enhanced.
New evidence such as the Integrated Biological and Behavioural Survey among key populations and a rapid assessment on people who use drugs inform further improvement in tailored programmes and resource mobilization efforts.
Over US$ 234 million were mobilized by Ghana from the Global Fund to scale up the national HIV, tuberculosis and malaria responses in 2024-2026.

Joint Programme Results

With the Joint Programme’s support, Ghana implemented a comprehensive strategy to improve access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services with focus on scaling up pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis and tailored prevention programmes for key populations, adolescents and young people (UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). For instance, the national HIV self-testing guidelines have been developed in line with the World Health Organization’s recommendation and 140 000 self-testing kits were procured and distributed to communities improving early diagnosis through a partnership with civil society organizations (WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). A total of 15 565 people received PrEP in the 2022-2023 biennium through collaborative technical support from the Joint Programme and development partners. Moreover, government and civil society representatives from 15 African countries exchanged knowledge and passed recommendations to strengthen PrEP and other antiretroviral treatment-based HIV prevention interventions during the South-to-South HIV Prevention Learning Network meeting in Ghana (WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat).

Over 450 young people including adolescent girls and young women in three regions were sensitized on the advantages of early diagnosis and treatment via the Know Your HIV Status campaign (UNFPA). In addition, services for the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV were strengthened in Bono and Upper East regions through the training of 82 healthcare providers on HIV case finding and management. A total of 136 sites across the country are now offering point-of-care viral load testing and early infant diagnosis using GeneXpert machines, thanks to the financial and technical support from the Joint Programme (UNICEF).

HIV incidence per 1000 uninfected populations

Source: AIDSinfo

AIDS mortality per 1000 population

Source: AIDSinfo

Progress towards 95-95-95 targets

Source: AIDSinfo

Over 350 000 students and young people received HIV prevention education from 2378 trained teachers in and out-of-school environments; and 72 teachers from 18 special schools improved their capacity of delivering HV prevention education for learners with special needs benefiting 1230 students with disabilities (UNESCO). Health and lifestyle coaching and monitoring visits in 14 schools in various districts further improved HIV prevention knowledge and life skills among adolescents and young students (UNICEF). Aligned with the national safe school policies, 136 schools in three regions established committees to promote safer and healthier environments for students, with focus on stigma, discrimination and violence against adolescents and young people through technical support from the Joint Programme (UNESCO).

Ghana joined the Global Partnership for Action to Eliminate all Forms of HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination in November 2023 (UNAIDS Secretariat). A total of 146 healthcare workers were empowered to eliminate HIV-related stigma in healthcare facilities in Accra Metro and Ga Central districts through training following the baseline assessment, data monitoring and establishment of stigma reduction teams in the districts (UNDP). To further improve treatment adherence, people living with HIV enrolled on treatment in 11 health facilities were linked to social protection mechanisms and received training and seed funding for income generating activities in collaboration with the Ghana AIDS Commission (WFP). In three regions, 20 young people living with HIV including in detention centres received livelihood skills training and start-up kits to improve their financial situation, treatment adherence and reduce their risk of engaging in sex work (UNFPA).

Ghana’s community-led monitoring structure was revised to enhance government engagement and decision-making process through support to civil society organizations led by the Christian Health Organisation (WHO). In addition, 60 representatives of Community Health Advocacy and Monitoring Teams (CHAMTs) gained stronger advocacy capacity thanks to the technical and financial assistance to the civil society organization Pro-Link. Hence, community advocacy led to mobilization of motorbikes, condoms, lubricants as well as communication and information materials allowing to expand community-led HIV services (UNAIDS Secretariat).

Evidence for the HIV response was reinforced through several studies supported by the Joint Programme and partners. For example, the integrated biological and behavioural surveillance (IBBS) survey among key populations, which included transgender women for the first time, and the rapid assessment of people who use or inject drugs gathered critical evidence for HIV and harm reduction programmes. Assessment of the health information database HIV E-Tracker also generated evidence to improve data quality (WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). In addition, results from reviews of the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan and National Tuberculosis Plan were used to inform the national response and the Global Fund Grant Cycle 7 proposal. Advocacy and technical assistance ensured integration of human rights and gender components in the new Global Fund grant mobilizing more than US$ 234 million for the national HIV, tuberculosis and malaria responses for 2024-2026 (UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat).