Ghana has spent $323.7 million on HIV/AIDS-related activities over the last three years, according to the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC).
The total HIV/AIDS-related expenditure in 2019, 2020, and 2021 was $88,648,568, $107,280,242, and $127,828,300, respectively.
Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, stated that the funds for each year were the total contribution made by the government, private sector, and international community.
Dr. Atuahene stated this during the launch and distribution of the National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) report for 2019-2021.
According to the Director General, findings from NASA 2019, 2020, and 2021 show a similar trend of over-reliance on international sources in financing the national HIV response.
He stated that the report should be used as an advocacy tool to re-prioritize HIV spending as the country works to address complex inequalities in resource allocation.
“We all have a part to play in defining how we introduce and infuse quality into the daily activities of the national response,” Dr. Atuahene stated.
Mr. Emmanuel Tetteh Larbi, the GAC Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator stated in a report highlighting that even though HIV funding increased in the years under review, HIV spending exceeded estimated resources.
According to the report, HIV care and treatment received the greatest share of HIV financing, followed by program enablers, health system strengthening, and HIV prevention, indicating that Ghana’s HIV response was heavily reliant on international funds.
Mr. Larbi further called for the mobilization of local resources, the institutionalization of routine HIV/AIDS resource tracking, and the promotion of innovative approaches to target key populations.