News
‘HIV/AIDS not death sentence’
HIV and AIDS advocates have reiterated calls for the public to offer support to people living with HIV in the communities to help them recover and live their normal lives.
They stressed that understanding the situations and conditions of affected persons would help reduce stigmatisation and discrimination in the society.
“Having HIV is not a death sentence. It’s not that they got infected through prostitution or make you are a prostitute.We need to reduce the stigma for people to come for the test and reduce the defaulting statistics.” Ms Dzid Enyonam Kwame, Media Specialist on the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) project said.
She made this observation at an engagement with queens and religious leaders at Takoradi in the Western Region, last Wednesday, to highlight the need for key stakeholders to act as agents of change in helping to reduce stigma and discrimination.
Ms Kwame described defaulters’ rates in treatment due to stigma and discrimination as worry, adding “We are trusting you to support us to achieve the targets”.
‘We can’t do it alone We need you leaders in our communities in achieving targets in Anti- Retro-viral Therapy (ART) support programmes.Together in our collective efforts, we can effect change in our communities.”She stated.
She advocated that discrimination at health facilities must also stop, saying “HIV stigmatisation hurts the well-being and health of people living with HIV and even prevents them from accessing treatments.”
HIV and AIDS Ambassador, Ms. Charity Owusu-Darko also said societal support to persons with the HIV and AIDS conditions was key in managing the disease and giving hope to affected individuals.
The disease condition, she claimed, could be compared with hypertension, diabetes and all other chronic diseases and called for proper management of cases to save the patients.
The ambassador said:” I have lived with HIV for the past nineteen years but because I have been constant on my drugs, I am still strong and going about my daily business. If I don’t disclose my health status, you will not know I have the disease.”
Ms. Owusu-Darko mentioned that stigma and discrimination against affected persons had not enabled society, families and religious groups to do their best in helping them to continue with their medication, and thereby worsening their conditions.
The Senior Social Mobilisation and Advocacy Advisor of USAID Strengthening the Care Continuum Project, Mr Benneh Diawuo, said the project hoped to reach lots of affected people by September this year, under the 95-95-95 targets.
The targets, he told the participants, hoped to get 95 per cent of people to know their statuses, be on drugs and have viral suppression.
Again, he said, the project target strategies included behavioural change through information and education and believed that the collaboration with queens who are key stakeholders would help reduce the HIV spread.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
