Ghana is ready to host ICASA 2025 - Dr Ayisi Addo

Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programme Manager, National AIDS and STI Control Programme, affirmed Ghana's readiness to host the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in 2025 as the nation boosts adequate facilities, a conducive environment, hospitable people, and effective security systems.

He mentioned that Ghana is the second-most peaceful country in the world, which makes its environment very conducive to hosting such a programme.

He stated that Ghana has all the facilities that are needed for a successful program. Giving examples, he mentioned that Ghana hosted the 13th African Games, with over 49 countries participating.

Dr. Ayisi Addo made the presentation during an engagement with a team from the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA), led by President Dr. David Parrenyatwa and Board Member Prof. Sheila Tlou, during a visit to Ghana to assess the country's readiness to host ICASA in 2025.

ICASA is a biennial conference that aims at collaborating with other national, regional, and international organisations, donors, and other partners to institute policies and promote research knowledge to support the African government's national responses and strengthen the health system to control and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other emerging infections.

The SAA meeting was held in two sections with the development partners, which included the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNOP, UNAID, USAID, and World Vision Ghana, which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy (CDA Consult), [email protected], which is a development communication advocacy non-governmental organisation based in Tema, Ghana.

The civil society organisations included GHANET, WAPCAS, NAP+, the Coalition for NGOs in Health, AGAMAL, Malaria Centre Rep, the National AIDS Commission, and the Ghana AIDS Control Programme.

Also, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area has been held in Ghana.

Dr. Ayisi Addo assured the board that the government of Ghana and other private sectors in the country will work together to ensure that youth from all 16 regions in the country will be sponsored to participate in the conference.

He mentioned that Ghana will be very grateful to hold the ICASA 2025, looking at the country's efforts as far as health is concerned.

He said Ghana has managed to keep the HIV prevalence below 2% consistently year after year, and this programme if held in Ghana, will encourage our health sectors and also help them gain enough knowledge to create awareness about the disease and advise the people with the disease in the country.

He also mentioned that the ICASA programme will enable people to stop the act of stigmatisation and create a sense of belonging and love for people with AIDS.

Ghana and South Africa were preselected by SAA-paid members to proceed to the second stage of the selection process to host the twenty-third edition of ICASA 2025.

At the end of voting on Wednesday, May 15th, by 512 paid members who were able to cast their votes, Ghana obtained 37.0 percent of the valid votes cast, South Africa obtained 33.3 percent, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo had 29.0 percent. SAA stated in a document obtained by Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), [email protected], which is a development communication advocacy non-governmental organisation based in Tema, Ghana.

According to the SAA's main organiser, ICASA, the selected host country will be announced after the assessment visits to Ghana and South Africa by the SAA Executive Board.

Meanwhile, Mr. Luc Armand Bodea, the SAA Coordinator, has explained that the criteria laid out by the ICASA Committee to enable a country to qualify to host the conference included a conducive environment that will enable a successful programme.

Mr. Bodea added that the country should be able to provide a 5,000-seat venue and 21 offices to house participants and meetings and demonstrate the government's commitment to sponsor 500 youth from all the regions of the country to participate in the conference.

He mentioned that there are a lot of benefits for the country that will qualify to host ICASA, looking at the number of foreign countries that will come for the conference.

"There are numerous benefits for the qualified country, looking at the number of foreigners who will come to the country. Others benefit will include academic, economic, and, most importantly, the health sector.’

He added that, at the conference, opinion leaders in the country will be allowed to put their developmental requests before the board, which is likely to yield a positive outcome.

Mr. Ernest Ortin, the Acting Chairman for the Country Coordinating Mechanism, also assured the ICASA team in a speech that the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will work to ensure that participants will not face challenges coming into the country for the programme.