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Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says Ghana’s low HIV treatment coverage poses a major threat to the country’s goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Presenting Ghana’s 2024 National HIV Estimates at the ICASA 2025 conference, he revealed that the country recorded 15,290 new infections and more than 12,000 AIDS-related deaths last year.
Ghana currently has 334,721 people living with HIV, including over 18,000 children under 15. However, only 47.5% of adults and 35.8% of children living with HIV are on treatment. Akandoh described the treatment gap—over 160,000 diagnosed but untreated individuals—as the biggest obstacle to epidemic control.
He warned that key populations such as female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender people face significant barriers due to stigma and discrimination within the health system. Young people remain highly vulnerable, with adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24 accounting for nearly a third of new infections. Adolescent girls and young women are especially affected due to persistent gender inequalities.
Despite some gains, including a 90% treatment success rate for those in care and a 99.3% prevention-of-mother-to-child transmission rate, Akandoh stressed that Ghana risks missing its 2030 AIDS target unless the treatment gap is urgently addressed.
