By Rachel Kakraba
First Lady Lordina Mahama has called on stakeholders in the national HIV response, particularly First Ladies across the continent, to move beyond advocacy and translate their commitments into concrete action that accelerates progress in the fight against the disease. She noted that, as First Ladies, they carry a significant responsibility in tackling the disease, which disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, especially children.
“As First Ladies, we carry a responsibility to elevate the voices of those who are too often not heard, the mothers in remote villages, the newborns who are vulnerable to preventable infection.”
Mrs. Mahama was speaking at a high-level side meeting of African First Ladies on ending AIDS in children and mothers by 2030, at the Presidency in Accra. The meeting, hosted by Mrs. Mahama as part of the ongoing ICASA, focused on the role of women in leadership in complementing efforts to fight stigmatization, abuse, and neglect of victims, especially women and children.
Mrs. Mahama expressed concern about the growing number of children infected with the disease, stressing that timely interventions are crucial to stem the tide.
“Thousands of African children continue to acquire HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. This infection can be prevented with timely infection interventions.”
Adding on, “According to UNICEF and WHO, mother-to-child transmission rate can be reduced below 5%. However, it requires a combination of political will, sufficient resources, and community participation.”
Mrs. Mahama said her office, in partnership with the Ghana AIDS Commission, has carried out an extensive community medical outreach programme across Ghana, through which young people and their families have received free screening for HIV and other conditions, as well as comprehensive counseling and direct access to quality care.
First Lady of Sierra Leone and President of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, said ending AIDS by 2030 is a promise to generations yet unborn.
“Africa is not just responding to history, but boldly writing a new one. A history where no mother loses her life giving birth and no child enters this world burdened by a preventable infection. The vision we carry, ending AIDS in children and mothers by 2030, is not just a target, it is a moral promise to our continent, to our daughters, to our sons, and to generations yet unborn.”
She said, as African First Ladies, they have pushed issues of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B to the front burner.
“Working with African Union, UNAIDS, WHO, UNICEF, and Civil Society, we have strengthened health systems, supported national campaigns, and expanded integrated services. Partnership is our power, and through it, Africa has moved closer to the dream of triple elimination.”
Dr. Mrs. Maada Bio said stigma is a silent killer which must be defeated through relentless community engagements.
OAFLAD, she said, is ready to lead with renewed courage, guided by the strategic framework 2025 to 2030, to champion universal access to high-quality Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Triple Elimination services.
Other First Ladies who participated in the high-level meeting included the First Ladies of Liberia, Kenya, Gambia, and the former First Lady of South Africa, among others.
