Popular Ghanaian pastor cum gospel musician, Sonnie Badu, has attributed the rise in HIV/AIDS cases to the 'December in Ghana' and 'Year of Return' festivities in Ghana.

In an interview with Accra FM, Sonnie Badu claimed that the initiative, which was introduced in 2019 by the government to boost the tourism sector in Ghana, led to an influx of people from all over the world, which in turn led to an increase in Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) including HIV/AIDs.

“Every December, Ghana is the place where people come to have fun, people come from all over the world due to the Year of Return and December in Ghana Festivities, and they engage in sexual activities and end up transmitting all sorts of STIs.

"And many Ghanaians too are indisciplined; they refuse to use protection when having sex."

Sonnie Badu further called for the sensitization of the public to help curb and prevent the spread of such diseases.

“We can educate people from the standpoint of protecting themselves from STIs, especially HIV/AIDS, and we can help curb the spread.

“We can show them the charts to prove that the rise of AIDs cases is because we’ve opened our arms and accepted everybody due to our status as a tourist destination. If we can properly educate them, they can learn to practice safe sex,” he said.

Meanwhile, the public has been reminded that HIV/AIDS remains a major health threat in the country.

The Ghana Aids Commission, in a press conference in December 2023, said the situation has become worrying because the epidemic was fast growing among the most economically active population in the country, including adolescents and young people who, it said, were increasingly becoming infected.

The commission added that youth between 15 and 24 accounted for a third of the HIV/AIDS national burden of 354,927 people living with HIV in Ghana.

Annually, there are about 20,068 new HIV infections in the country, with about 4, 610 AIDS-related deaths.

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