[ 2016-02-11 ]

President Mahama pledges to focus on HIV/AIDS reduction
Accra, Feb 10, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama
on Wednesday gave the assurance that African
leaders would in the coming years focus on the
total reduction of the incidence of HIV and AIDS
on the continent.

He said the continent was already battling with
illiteracy and poverty and would therefore not
allow the prevalence of the HIV and AIDS to gain
centre-stage in their political progress.

President Mahama gave the assurance when he
launched the seventh African Conference on Sexual
and Reproductive Health and Rights in Accra.

The Conference, which is part of a long-term
process of building and fostering regional
dialogue on sexual and reproductive health and
rights, would end on Friday, February 12.

It is being hosted by Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama,
First Lady of Ghana and President of the
Organisation of African First Ladies Against
HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in collaboration with Curious
Minds, Ghana, an organisation of young advocates
and youth in broadcasting.

Participating First Ladies are from Kenya,
Ethiopia, Mali, Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone,
Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso and Chad.

Other First Ladies expected at the Conference are
from Sudan, Madagascar and Mozambique.

The Conference it is on the theme ‘Realizing
Demographic Dividend in Africa: the Critical
Importance of Adolescents and Youth Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights’.

President Mahama said although the HIV and AIDS
had reduced for some years now, there was the need
for governments to focus on mother-to-child
education to encourage mothers to go in for
voluntary tests that would eliminate the
transmission.

He added:"Testing positive to the HIV and AIDS is
no longer a death sentence and I encourage all of
you to do that to reduce the incidence of the
disease."

The President said with the introduction of
Anti-Retroviral Drugs people could live much
longer and therefore needed to know their status
to enable the health workers to support them to
enjoy better lives.

On early marriages amongst girls, President Mahama
said African governments would continue to support
the First Ladies to support girls to stay in
school to achieve their academic laurels.

That, he said, formed the basis for constructing
more Community Day Senior High Schools in deprived
communities throughout the country.

He said four out of the 123 of such schools under
construction in the country had been commissioned
and in the coming days more would be completed to
admit more students.

President Mahama said the completion of those
schools would give an extra opportunity to over
240,000 students throughout the country to pursue
other courses and skills training programmes.

Mrs Lordina Mahama said the future of every
country depended on the activeness of its youth,
and her outfit would continue to support all youth
programmes to achieve their targets in the
socio-economic development of the country.

Mrs Mahama who would also launch a major campaign
towards ending child marriages in Ghana, a
programme she is spearheading through the Ministry
of Gender, Children and Social Protection promised
positive support to the youth.

On the Ghana Ending Child Marriage Initiative
aimed at raising awareness and garnering support
towards ending child marriages in Ghana, the First
Lady said more information on Sexual and
Reproductive Health would be developed to help
educate them against negative practices that could
retard their orderly progress.

Other dignitaries in the Accra Conference are the
UN Under Secretary & Executive Director of UNFPA,
the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, the
Africa Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and
UNICEF’s Deputy Director for West and Central
Africa.

Also in attendance would be the Special Rapporteur
on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, the President
of the International Women’s Health Coalition
and over 15 Ministers from the Health, Justice,
Gender and Youth Ministries across Africa.

Source - GNA

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