The Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) has officially launched the 23rd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2025) with a call on African countries to strengthen health systems.
The conference, which will be held in Ghana from 3-8 December 2025 is on the theme; “Unity in Action: Catalysing Integrated and Resilient Health Systems for Sustainable Responses to HIV, Other Infectious Diseases, and Emerging Threats”.
It aims to catalyse Africa’s progress towards triple elimination and sustainable resilient health systems through innovation and digital technologies, promote cooperation among governments, civil society, the private sector, and international organisations to enhance health security and improve pandemic preparedness and response.
It also seeks to strengthen capacity and facilitate knowledge exchange for healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers, empower communities and promote human rights and gender equality in the context of HIV/AIDS as well as emerging and re-emerging diseases.
The conference will mobilise domestic resources and political commitment to sustain Africa’s progress towards achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and global health security goals.
Dr David Pagwesese Parirenyatwa, the President of SAA and ICASA 2025, made this known during the closing of the ICASA 2025 first International Steering Committee meeting in Accra.
He said with the theme, objectives and the unveiling of the ICASA 2025 logo, SAA together with its partners was ready to host the conference in Ghana come December 2025.
Dr Parirenyatwa also took the opportunity of the meeting to launch the ICASA 2027 call for bids.
He said African countries wishing to host the 24th ICASA in 2027 were invited to send in their application bid document to the SAA Secretariat in Accra-Ghana by Thursday, July 31st, 2025.
“Any African country is eligible to be considered to host ICASA, however, certain criteria must be fulfilled to qualify for selection,” the SAA President stated.
The criteria include strong government support, financial commitment and political will to host the conference, availability of standard hotels to accommodate up to 10,000 participants as well as conference venues with standard facilities, good transportation network in the country, good telecommunication network within the host country with links to other African countries and international communities.
There should be the presence of a cohort of scientific, leadership, civil societies, organised groups of persons living with HIV (PLHIV), private sector, and youth organisations oriented towards HIV/AIDS-related activities, and easy access by air and by road where needed.
The bidding country must have the recognizable presence of a government body responsible for HIV/AIDS coordination, a good security network, easy visa facilities and assistance, political stability and not discriminatory government policies based on gender, HIV status and religion.
Dr Parirenyatwa urged interested countries to submit detailed bid documents backed with evidence to the SAA Secretariat by email, attachments and courier services to the SAA President.
Mr Luc Armand Bodea, ICASA Director and SAA Coordinator, urged individuals and institutions who want to participate in ICASA 2025 to visit the SAA website to register and for more information.
He, however, added that participation at the conference was free for the media and urged journalists especially in Ghana take advantage.
The meeting among other things agreed on the draft preliminary programme and the ICASA 2025 key dates and road map and participants were encouraged to take note of the dates respectively.
Source: myghanadaily
