The Acting Director, Policy and Planning at the Ghana AIDS Commission, Mr. John Illasu Mahama, has called for a review of Ghana’s policies regarding people living with HIV, arguing that an individual’s HIV status alone should no longer be a basis for employment restrictions or exclusion.
Speaking on Morning Target on Bullet TV with host Ebenezer De-Gaulle, Mr. Mahama said significant advances in HIV treatment have changed the realities of living with the virus, making many of the policies introduced decades ago outdated.
According to him, many security agencies around the world adopted broad restrictions in the late 1990s and early 2000s when effective antiretroviral therapy was not widely available. However, with the availability of modern HIV treatment, people living with HIV can lead healthy, productive lives.
“HIV status alone is no longer sufficient, and that is the engagement that is happening,” he stated.
Mr. Mahama also added that several African countries have already revised their policies to reflect current medical evidence.
“Kenya has revised its policies, South Africa has revised its policies, and we think it’s time for Ghana to revise its policies,” he said.
He emphasized that modern antiretroviral therapy enables people living with HIV to remain healthy and continue contributing effectively in the workplace, making it necessary for policies to align with current scientific knowledge rather than outdated assumptions.
His remarks comes on the back of recent report released by Ghana Aids Commission which shows that new HIV infections declined from 16,189 in 2024 to 13,951 in 2025, while AIDS-related deaths also reduced from 13,429 to 12,051 within the same period, representing nearly a 14% decline.