Prof. Victor Wutor urges Ghana to invest heavily in long-acting HIV prevention drugs

Josephine Amuzu 15:27 - 21 July 2026

Add Pulse as a preferred source on Google

Sunyani, Berekum lead as Bono Region records 1,145 new HIV infections

Clinical Professor Victor Wutor is urging the Government of Ghana to invest heavily in long-acting HIV prevention injections (PrEP) following the Ghana AIDS Commission’s 2025 report, which recorded 13,951 new HIV infections and highlighted the need for targeted education campaigns for vulnerable groups.

Clinical Professor at the University of Alberta, Victor Wutor, has urged the Government of Ghana to increase funding for pre-exposure HIV prevention medicines, describing them as a critical tool in reducing new infections.

His comments come after the Ghana AIDS Commission released its 2025 National HIV Estimates and Projections, which showed that 13,951 people were newly infected with HIV in 2025.

The new figure is lower than the 16,189 infections recorded in 2024, indicating a downward trend. The report also showed a decline in AIDS-related deaths, which fell from 13,429 in 2024 to 12,051 in 2025, representing a reduction of almost 14 percent.

According to the Commission, an estimated 337,435 people are currently living with HIV in Ghana. This includes 315,513 adults aged 15 years and above and 21,922 children under 15.

While the Commission said the falling infection and mortality rates suggest that Ghana’s HIV response is yielding results, it cautioned that stronger interventions will be required for the country to meet the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Speaking on the Class Morning Show hosted by Charles Akrofi, Prof. Wutor, who is also a pharmacist, said Ghana should pay particular attention to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), especially long-acting injectable formulations that can prevent HIV infection for extended periods.

That is something I believe we should also look at carefully, where you have two injections in a year to prevent you from getting HIV. It’s not readily available through the government, although some private institutions do offer it, he said.

He explained that the injectable treatment currently costs more than US$2,000 per patient per year, putting it beyond the reach of many people. However, he noted that some countries have successfully negotiated lower prices with manufacturers, bringing the annual cost down to between US$20 and US$30 per patient.

I’d rather invest in that massively and make sure that people who are at higher risk but are HIV-negative receive these injections. With just two injections a year, they are protected from contracting HIV,” Prof. Wutor added.

The professor also called for a more targeted public education strategy aimed at groups that are more vulnerable to infection, particularly young people.

He argued that HIV awareness campaigns should be designed for specific age groups and delivered through the digital platforms they use most often.

We should have more targeted advertisements and educational programmes for vulnerable groups. For instance, young women between the ages of 15 and 24 respond differently to messaging than a 70-year-old person. We cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach.

“If they are on TikTok, take the campaign to TikTok. If they are on Facebook, take it to Facebook. We need specifically designed messages that speak directly to the people we want to reach,” he said.

Update Me