The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has urged a united front to fight HIV stigma, promote human rights, and ensure fair access to HIV prevention services for all.

She emphasised that issues such as discrimination, stigma, lack of access to healthcare, and socioeconomic disparity need to be addressed for Ghana to achieve effective HIV prevention.

“These barriers do not only worsen the spread of HIV but also perpetuate inequality and injustice, it is imperative that we address these barriers head-on with courage and determination if we are to succeed in our mission,” she said.

Mrs Akufo-Addo was speaking at the 2024 National HIV Prevention Summit in Accra on Thursday.

She said eradicating HIV stigma and discrimination called for a coordinated effort from all facets of society.

The summit was on the theme “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges, Uniting for Effective HIV Response”

Mrs. Akufo-Addo stressed the need to give communities the knowledge, resources, and support they need to take charge of their health and well-being and protect themselves and their loved ones from HIV.

She said society must urgently and fully implement HIV prevention measures and make sure that everyone who needs them receives them.

Innovations in HIV prevention for all categories of persons currently include long-acting injectables, the vagina ring treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission protocols, which have been enhanced with highly effective antiretroviral medications and point-of-care screening devices.

Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission said the fight against HIV and AIDS response was at a crucial stage, with scientific tools and proven strategies to eliminate the disease readily available to combat global economic challenges.

Insufficient financing, noncompliance with preventive measures, and persistent stigma and discrimination, he claimed, were preventing Ghana from providing the basic HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support services that are required to bring the epidemic under control by 2030.

Dr. Atuahene said HIV is acquired and transmitted daily in every community in Ghana.

“We have to talk about HIV prevention because new infections are very high since the sexual behaviours that drive HIV transmission and acquisition are increasingly pervasive with rising levels of high-risk sexual activities among both men and women in every region,” he said.

Dr. Atuahene said Ghana must prioritize the HIV prevention roadmap to establish a comprehensive national approach for preventative interventions and programmatic scalability, which would the country to meet the 2025 Global AIDS Targets.

He said in efforts to reduce new infections, the GAC intends to provide people-centred prevention models of care to those at high risk of acquiring HIV.

This year’s HIV Prevention Summit is expected to create a platform for stakeholders to develop a national agenda to prevent the disease.

Dr Atuahene said the summit would finalize the milestones developed by the national HIV prevention coalition during the 2025 HIV Prevention Road Map Review and Milestone Setting Workshop earlier in the year.

“Considering this, the summit will explore innovative technologies, and foster collaborations to strengthen HIV prevention strategies in Ghana while solidifying accountability mechanisms for HIV prevention progress,” he said.

What do I want to be when I grow up? What should I be doing with my life? Did I choose the right career? You may be surprised that as you get older, you still find yourself asking the same old questions — questions that you thought you would’ve answered years ago. But how do you go about finding answers to such profound inquiries?

The truth is, you’re never going to know with 100 percent certainty that you’ve successfully found and fulfilled your life purpose. That said, there are some pretty obvious signs of whether or not you are on the right track. Check out these tips for determining if your current career aligns with your life’s work.

Here are 6 tiny signs you’ve finally discovered your life’s work:

1. You enjoy it.

Well now, this is a no-brainer, isn’t it? Do you like what you are doing? Are you doing it because you want to do it? Or have you tricked yourself into believing this is the only option for you?

2. It energizes you.

One surefire sign you’re not fulfilling your soul’s desires is the yawning that takes place the second you sit down at your desk. If you feel like your work day is sucking the life out of you, it probably is. Our life’s work energizes us. It brings out the passion and endless energy we can sustain over time.

3. Time flies by.

If you find yourself looking at the clock every 3 seconds, chances are you’re not aligned with what your soul wants to do. When we do what we love, the time flies by. We have to force ourselves to stop.

4. You’re a natural.

Does your work come to you fairly easily? Or do you find yourself forcing and stumbling? You already have the natural gifts required to face your life journey. Don’t force a square peg into a round hole.

5. It’s not just your job.

Your life’s work is not just what you do to make money. It’s also your hobby, your passion, and your life. If you gag at the thought of reading an industry magazine for fun, it’s probably time for a change.

6. You can’t stop sharing.

If your work truly ignites you, if it feeds your soul, you will not be able to stop talking about it. You will want your family, friends, and the entire world to share in your joy.

If these signs ring true for you, congratulations! You are spending your days doing what you love to do. If you’ve missed the mark, don’t worry. Just because you’re not yet where you want to be, it doesn’t mean you’ve made a mistake. You can never actually be on the wrong path. Your path unfolds in front of you with every choice that you make. You’ve most likely ended up in this situation to gain additional knowledge, skills, or other lessons before the next leg of your journey. Now that you know there is more you want to pursue in this lifetime, what will you do about it?

Back when Tiger Woods made headlines for his affairs with multiple women, he was back in the news not too long afterward.

This time, rumors spread that he was cheating on his (now ex) girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn.

It was easy to believe tabloid speculation that his cheating ways were the reason for their breakup, but according to People, Tiger and Lindsey broke up because it just “didn’t work out.” 

That’s normal, but sometimes, cheating is to blame. Why do men cheat? And is there a reason why married men cheat in particular?

Here are 5 reasons why some men cannot stop cheating, according to an expert:

1. That’s all they know.

Some men have been cheating since they were in middle school. It is part of who they are, and it’s so ingrained it has become part of their identity.

Without being a womanizer, they don’t know who they are. Learning to be monogamous takes work. They need counseling to unlearn this behavior and to work on it daily.

2. They have no moral issue with it.

Morally, some men don’t have a problem with hiring an escort. The guy who cheats on you probably feels the same way or he wouldn’t do it. It is easy to be remorseful after the fact. But can morals be taught? In most cases, no.

3. They have low self-esteem.

Cheaters tend to have low self-esteem — their ego rewards them when they can have multiple women. But cheaters need to learn to love themselves before they can love anyone else.

4. They’re addicted.

Some people are addicted to sex and love. They become obsessed and can’t stop thinking about it until they act on it. Sex and love addictions can be treated with individual and group therapy. However, they’re not going away by themselves. Men who cheat need to do the work to improve.

5. They’re self-sabotaging.

Some men tend to sabotage their lives when it’s going well. They may not know why they are doing or what they are doing and simply can’t stop.

There is always an unresolved issue from their past that causes a person to self-sabotage, so counseling and couples therapy help.

If your man fits into one of these categories, just know there is hope. He can change if he wants to change, has a good support system, and devotes himself to becoming a better person.

The change won’t happen overnight, he will be tempted to cheat while trying to change. Make sure to get help — change takes time.