By: Rachel Kakraba and Henrietta Afful
Ghana will from the 3rd to 8th December, host the 23rd edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
The event, which will be convened by the Society for AIDS, SAA, in Africa will bring together global leaders, community, researchers, advocates, and healthcare professionals to further the continent’s fight against HIV/AIDS, STIs, Hepatitis, Malaria, TB, emerging viral infections and strengthening Africa’s Health systems.
This is the first time a West African country will host the event which will also mark the 35th anniversary of Society for AIDS in Africa, SAA.
A statement by ICASA Director and SAA Coordinator, Luc Armand Bodea, said Ghana emerged successful in the highly competitive selection process due to exceptional dedication to addressing HIV/AIDS challenges in the West African sub region.
The statement said ICASA 2025, will be a pivotal moment in advancing Africa’s health systems towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global goal of ending new HIV infections by 2030 and advancing AU Agenda 2063.
The Society for AIDS in Africa extends its gratitude to the Government of Ghana for its unwavering support and commitment to hosting the event, stating ICASA 2025 will build on the successes of previous editions and further mobilize Africa and the international community in the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The first International steering committee meeting of ICASA 2025 will be held from 28th to 29th November 2024. Since its inception, the Society for AIDS in Africa, SAA has been at the forefront in providing a global platform for Africa’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The Society was founded in 1989 at the Fourth International Symposium on AIDS and Associated Cancers in Africa (now ICASA) Held in Marseille, France by a group of African scientists, activists, and advocates in response to the HIV epidemic. The establishment of the Society was the effect of the agitations of some African scientists for the conference to be organized on African soil. These agitations began in the preceding year at the end of the third meeting held in Arusha, Tanzania in 1988.
The cause championed by these scientists received support from Dr. Peter Piot, then Director of the WHO. At the 1990 conference held in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an Executive committee was inaugurated to oversee the establishment of the Society and to coordinate a subsequent international conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) conferences.
The society was officially registered in Nairobi, Kenya with a functional secretariat in Nigeria. The permanent secretariat of the Society for AIDS in Africa was established in 2009 in Accra-Ghana.
