Data from the 2023 national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimates and projections revealed that 17,774 people—6,457 males and 11,317 females—became newly infected with HIV in that year.
The new infections included 4,869 youth aged 15 to 24, 1,698 children under 15, 1,520 adolescents aged 10 to 19, and 16,076 adults over 15.
Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, disclosed this in Accra on Wednesday, noting a 14.8 percent decrease in new infections between 2013 and 2023.
“The data indicates that Ghana has not been able to achieve its annual target of a 17 percent reduction in new HIV infections over the last ten years,” he said.
Dr. Atuahene added that Ghana is projected to achieve a 41 percent reduction in new HIV infections between 2023 and 2030.
Projections showed that 334,095 people in Ghana—115,891 males and 218,204 females—were living with HIV in 2023. This included 17,550 children under 14, 16,381 adolescents aged 10 to 19, 33,245 young adults aged 15 to 24, and 316,545 adults over 15.
The HIV population increased by nine percent between 2013 and 2023 and is expected to increase by 6.8 percent by 2030.
Additionally, projections showed that 12,480 Ghanaians died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2023.
Dr. Atuahene highlighted that despite the availability of treatments to prevent disease progression and deaths, mortality from AIDS continues when it should not.
He emphasized Ghana’s commitment to the 95-95-95 targets, aiming for 95 percent of people living with HIV to be aware of their status, 95 percent of those on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to achieve viral suppression, and 95 percent of those receiving ART to know their status by 2025.
In 2023, Ghana achieved 65.3 percent for the first target, 69.4 percent for the second, and 89.0 percent for the third.
Dr. Atuahene noted that most people infected or living with HIV in the country are between 15 and 49 years old, representing an economically active population.
He stressed that ending the AIDS epidemic in the country should be a key priority for everyone.
