The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has announced that Ghana will begin deploying condom vending machines across the country by the last quarter of 2026 in efforts to boost HIV prevention.
According to the AIDS Commission, the machines are expected to be installed at lorry stations, mosques, stadia and shopping malls, to enable people to obtain condoms privately.
The AIDS Commission also revealed plans to extend the initiative to public institutions like washrooms in ministries, departments, agencies and financial institutions.
Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong, revealed that machines would be designed differently depending on the characteristics of the communities.
Speaking at the dissemination meeting in Accra on the 2026 HIV Estimates and Projections, Dr Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong stated, “The machines will not all be the same. Depending on the peculiar characteristics of a local population, the machine deployed could be electronically operated or manually administered”.
He further recounted that Ghana had previously introduced condom vending machines that dispensed packs of three condoms for 50 pesewas, but the programme collapsed after many of the machines were vandalised.
“People were forcefully emptying the machines to take the coins,” he said.
In related news, the Ghana AIDS Commission have revealed that about 337,435 Ghanaian people of all ages are currently living with HIV in Ghana, with 13,951 new infections recorded in 2025.
Out of the 337,435 Ghanaians living with HIV, 315,513 are adults aged 15 years and above, while 21,922 are children below 15 years.
Also, 19,528 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 are living with HIV, with young people aged 15 to 24 years accounting for 33,317 cases.
However, the Ghana AIDS Commission revealed that Ghana recorded a decline in new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, with the latest national estimates.
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) disclosed that the 2025 National HIV Estimates and Projections report indicates that new HIV infections reduced from 16,189 in 2024 to 13,951 in 2025.
They further detailed that AIDS-related deaths also declined from 13,429 to 12,051 within the same period, representing nearly a 14% reduction.
Isaiah Doe Kwao, the Director for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ghana AIDS Commission, made the presentation in Accra on Monday, July 20.
He stated, “Ghana’s HIV response is making progress, but we still have more work to do to reach epidemic control and ensure that no one is left behind,” he said.
In related news, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, President of the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET), has revealed that about 45 people contract HIV every day in Ghana.
The GHANET president detailed that out of the 45 people who contract HIV every day in Ghana, approximately 68.5% are women, with men making up 31.5%.
Speaking on Neat FM, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin stated, “About 45 people contract HIV every day in Ghana if you look at our records as of 2024”.
“Our National data unfortunately show that our mothers, women, and young girls are mostly infected with HIV. The data shows that about 68.5% of new infections are females, and 31.5% are men.
In Ghana, unfortunately, HIV is skewed against our mothers, sisters and females”.
Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin further disclosed that one of the reasons why females have a higher HIV rate in Ghana stems from the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network having more data on women than men.
He disclosed that when women are pregnant and visit the hospital, they are required to conduct an HIV test, which provides them with more data.
The GHANET president also highlighted that the female organ is a receptor, which leads to more females contracting HIV during sex when the man is infected with the virus.
He further disclosed that their data show Ghanaian men engage in numerous relations, citing data that detailed that in a year, Ghanaian men sleep around with between 7 and 9 women on average.
@ghnow_ Hon. Sammy Awuku has arrived at the court premises in solidarity with NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), ahead of the court proceedings. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ Hon. Oppong Nkrumah, Hon. Nana Akomea and has arrived at the High Court in solidarity with Chairman Wontumi #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – theprincelive – Daddy Lumba Fanatic 🔥
