By: Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
Global and national networks of people living with HIV have converged in Accra for the PLHIV-Led HIV Integration Summit, a major pre-conference event ahead of the 2025 International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
Organised by the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), the summit brings together PLHIV leaders, researchers, policymakers, and community advocates to advance a stronger, sustainable, and person-centred HIV integration agenda across Africa.
Hosted in Accra , the summit opened with a call for deeper PLHIV leadership in shaping Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and national health reforms.
The summit also served as the platform for GNP+ to launch its inaugural World AIDS Day Report, titled PLHIV Minimum Requirements for Integrated HIV Services.
The report captures the collective voice of PLHIV networks worldwide and outlines the non-negotiable standards required to effectively integrate HIV services into primary healthcare without excluding the over 40 million people living with HIV globally. Building on momentum from the Nairobi PLHIV Leadership Summit held in April, the report marks the beginning of an annual tradition of defining and tracking integration standards. More than 1,834 respondents, including PLHIV leaders, national networks, partners, and stakeholders contributed their experiences during a period of declining donor funding and increasing national responsibility.
GNP+ outlined seven evidence-based minimum requirements for effective integration:
1. Transformative PLHIV participation in decision-making
2. Local context definition and adaptation
3. Recognition of the diversity of PLHIV communities
4. Comprehensive care, including accessible self-care
5. Resilient health systems for long-term care
6. Stigma-free and rights-based service delivery
7. Full government responsibility for treatment access and continuity
GNP+ Co-Executive Directors, Sbongile Nkosi and Florence Riako Anam, emphasised that PLHIV must lead health system transformation for integration to succeed. Describing the report as “a hand extended in partnership,” they explained that PLHIV networks worldwide collaborated to produce the standards, partnering with the Ghana PLHIV network for the launch.
They noted that with HIV funding declining globally especially from the US governments are assuming greater responsibility for HIV programming. As such, it is critical for PLHIV to define expectations regarding service delivery, integration into primary healthcare and UHC, and the right of citizens to demand quality HIV services at public facilities. The report provides a blueprint for engagement between PLHIV networks, citizens, and governments, enabling health facilities and policymakers to understand what PLHIV expect as HIV services are integrated into broader public health systems.
A presentation by Dr. Mumbi Chola highlighted significant gaps in integration across countries, including inconsistent care models, weak community involvement, and limited accountability. He warned that poorly executed integration could reverse gains made in the HIV response. Dr. Chola also cited global statistics: in 2024, 1.3 million people were newly infected with HIV, and 650,000 people died from preventable or treatable HIV-related conditions, despite major scientific advancements.
He stressed that African countries, historically dependent on donor support, must now adapt public health systems to integrate HIV into primary healthcare, guided by the evolving needs of people living with HIV, many of whom require additional services beyond HIV treatment.
Representing NAP+ Ghana, Abdul Fatawu Salifu reiterated that as countries pursue UHC, PLHIV must not only be beneficiaries but also lead in shaping the systems that serve them. He raised concerns about human rights, complementary social services, and treatment access, calling for stronger financing models and community-led monitoring to ensure quality care. Salifu stressed that integration “must work for PLHIV, not merely look good on paper.”
Across the summit, the central message was clear: integration must be done with people living with HIV, not to them. GNP+ reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening PLHIV organisations, advancing community-led research, and shaping global health policy through meaningful participation.
As Accra prepares to host ICASA 2025, the PLHIV-Led Integration Summit has positioned Ghana as a key hub for advancing person-centred and community-led solutions to sustain global progress toward ending AIDS.
