The Ghana AIDS Commission has announced plans to roll out a new HIV preventive drug by 2026, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus, which recorded over 15,000 new infections in the past year.

Speaking on Tuesday, September 30, Director-General of the Commission, Dr. Prosper Akanbong, said the initiative will not only enhance HIV prevention but also contribute to the development of local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.

“As a country, we have already put the vaccine as a main component of our HIV prevention programme. Initially, we will secure it from outside, but with the pharmacy organisations that you see here, they have positioned themselves to be able to produce the vaccines locally,” he explained.

He added that discussions with pharmaceutical companies are already underway, with support from the German development agency, GIZ, to ensure a sustainable rollout.

“Together with GIZ, we are on track, and in the latter part of 2026 or the early part of 2027, we should be able to produce vaccines for Ghana,” he said.