Ghana HIV/Aids Foundation Inaugurated

A 15-member board of trustees of the Ghana HIV/AIDS Foundation (GHAF) was inaugurated Wednesday in Accra with a call on Ghanaians to mobilise resources to fight the syndrome.

Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, in a speech read for him, said that it was evident that both government and private organisations were involved in the prevention and control of the HIV/AIDS, but educational activities were being undermined by the unavailability of resources.

The GHAF is a private initiative that seeks to actively mobilise financial and human resources from home and elsewhere to support HIV/AIDS programmes and activities with the view to eliminating the pandemic.

The Board has Oyeeman Wereko Ampem II, Chancellor of the University of Ghana in Legon as its chairman and Esther Ocloo, an industrialist, as the vice-chairperson.

The occasion was also used to launch the HIV/AIDS Fund, which will be sourced from levies, dues and donations from the GHAF board of trustees, executive committee and the general public.

The board will support capacity building and enhance viability of institutions and individuals involved in the HIV/AIDS initiatives.

The foundation will also encourage excellence in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and control initiatives by rewarding individuals and institutions that have accomplished remarkable results in HIV/AIDS programmes.

Mahama challenged the board not to be seen duplicating efforts but harness resources to make sure that their packages are morally efficient and not harmful to the health and immunity of Ghanaians.

He said since there is no cure for AIDS, "we must focus on how best to prevent it from spreading by building dynamic networks of people who understand the problem."

"We must also identify practical initiatives directed at solving the problem and involving everybody from the community level through giant companies to the highest political level."

Agyeman Badu Akosa, Chief Pathologist of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana has an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 4.6 percent unlike her neighbours who are between nine and 12 percent and the eastern and southern African countries, some of which have reached 35 percent.

Akosa, who is also the executive president of GHAF, said the foundation had targeted mobilising 400 billion cedis for spending in the next four years (1 USD = 7,200 cedis).

He proposed that every Friday be set aside for the media to give messages on the disease.

He recommended that Ghana should emulate the example of Brazil, which supports people living with HIV/AIDS by providing free medicines for them.