First Lady of Sierra Leone and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, together with the First Lady of The Gambia, Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, have been warmly received in Ghana by Presidential Aide Joyce Bawah Mogtari as they arrive for a high-level African First Ladies event on the sidelines of the 23rd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2025).
Their arrival underscores the crucial role First Ladies continue to play in advancing national priorities, particularly issues concerning women, children, and vulnerable groups. This year’s gathering of African First Ladies comes at a pivotal moment, as the continent grapples with major U.S. funding cuts affecting the fight against HIV/AIDS, raising concerns about the future of life-saving interventions.
The meeting, hosted by Ghana’s First Lady and founder of the Lordina Foundation, Mrs. Lordina Mahama, will focus on the theme “Ending Mother-to-Child Transmission and the Triple Elimination of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B in Africa.” Discussions will spotlight women’s leadership in combating stigma, abuse, and neglect faced by victims, especially women and children, and outline concrete measures to protect their rights and dignity across African societies.
Also expected in Accra for the high-level deliberations are the First Lady of Kenya, Rachel Ruto; Liberia’s First Lady and maternal–neonatal health advocate, Kartumu Y. Boakai; and a former First Lady of South Africa, all of whom are set to join their counterparts in strengthening continental commitments to public health and social justice.
Ghana is, for the first time, hosting ICASA , an all-Africa exclusive conference that alternates biennially between francophone and anglophone states. The 2025 edition runs from December 3 to 8 under the theme “Africa in Action: Catalysing Integrated and Resilient Health Systems for Sustainable Responses to End HIV, Other Infectious Diseases, and Emerging Threats,” at the Accra International Conference Centre
Mrs. Mahama and her Lordina Foundation have long earned international recognition for championing health and humanitarian causes. Appointed a Health Ambassador in 2013 to support the Heart-to-Heart HIV awareness campaign, she further cemented her advocacy legacy in 2016 as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), when she delivered a powerful call in Accra for proactive responses to HIV and the protection of young people’s sexual and reproductive rights.
By: Richmond Fordjour Ampofo
