At world AIDS Day 2025 commemoration in Bolgatanga: MCE urges end to discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients

Bolgatanga has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2025 edition of World AIDS Day marked across the world.

The event is observed on December 1 every year to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS, combat stigma, and reflect on the progress and challenges in the global AIDS response.

In his address at the occasion held at the premises of the Bolgatanga Central Technical Institute (BCTI), the Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga (MCE), Mr Roland Atanga Ayoo, cautioned the public to eschew discrimination against people living with HIV or AIDS.

That, he said, would erode the gains made so far in the municipality in terms of promoting stigma-free engagement which ensured that persons living with the disease were accorded the needed respect and support they deserved.

Instead, he encouraged each and every one to endeavour to collectively strengthen the systems and embrace innovation so as to deliver an AIDS response that was strong, inclusive, and sustainable. He said there was the need to stand firm and unite in action to end AIDS in Bolgatanga.

Themed “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” Mr Ayoo said the fight against HIV and AIDS in Ghana, and Bolgatanga in particular, required some innovation and sustained resolve from stakeholders—those in the health sector, education, traditional leaders, the media, to mention just a few.

“Over the past years, the global community has witnessed numerous disruptions—from pandemics, economic hardships, to climate-related challenges.

“These disruptions have affected access to health services, weakened support systems, and threatened the progress we have made in reducing HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths,” the MCE recounted.

Despite the aforementioned challenges, he tasked all and sundry not to despair, as the municipality under his stewardship remained committed to improving HIV education, prevention, testing, counselling, and treatment services. “We will continue to strengthen our collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana AIDS Commission, NGOs, and all development partners to fight the disease here in Bolgatanga,” he pledged.

The Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Health Services, Mr Alhassan Awal, acknowledged that the country has made some significant strides in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

A speech read for him by the Municipal Disease Control Officer, Mr Simon Adjei Effah, disclosed that between 2010 and 2021, the incidence and prevalence of HIV in Ghana declined, with the incidence per 1,000 population falling from 1% in 2010 to 0.57 in 2021.

“And the prevalence—dropping from 2.0% to 1.7% during the same period—is an achievement,” he indicated, while urging residents in Bolgatanga against complacency, as the GAC predicted the number of Ghanaians living with HIV was expected to soar from 342,307 in 2019 to 366,650 by the end of this year.

Mr Awal further revealed that the Bolgatanga Municipality was one of the hotspots for HIV contraction in the region, stating it recorded an HIV prevalence rate of 0.8% last year.

“This means one out of every hundred persons is estimated to be living with the disease. The health data from January to September 2025 indicates an increase in new HIV infections, with 143 cases reported, compared to 107 cases reported in 2024,” stressed the Director of Health Services.

FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, BOLGATANGA

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