The Ghana AIDS Commission Technical Support Unit (TSU) for the Upper West Region has inaugurated and orientated Municipal and District Committees of the Ghana AIDS Commission (M/DISCCOMs) across all the MMDAs in the region.

The exercises, was led by Mr. Dramani Yakubu (the Ghana AIDS Commission’s Regional Technical Coordinator for the Upper West Region) begun on 17th June 2021 at the Sissala East Municipal Assembly and ended on the 23rd June, 2021 in the Wa Municipal assembly.

Section 9 (2) of the Ghana AIDS Commission Act 938, 2016 provides for the establishment of a 9¬¬-member Regional Committee of the Ghana AIDS Commission (RECCOM) chaired by the Hon Regional Minister with institutional representation from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ghana Education Service (GES), Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) into HIV and AIDS work. The rest are; Network of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+), Regional House of Chiefs, and a representative each from a Moslem and Christian section of the public.

Further, section 9 (3) provides for the establishment of a 9-member District Committee of the Ghana AIDS Commission (M/DISCCOMs) in all MMDAs chaired by the Hon M/DCEs with institutional representation similar to the RECCOM.

The inauguration and orientation of the DISCCOMS followed the successful inauguration and orientation of the Regional Committee of the Ghana AIDS Commission (RECCOM) for the Upper West Region in the year 2018.

Additionally, it’s a fulfilment of the provisions in GAC Act 938, 2016 and aims to improve the capacities of the M/DISCCOM members to appreciate their mandate and perform their duties effectively. It is also to strengthen the decentralized response, which is geared at realizing the country’s agenda of ending AIDS as public health threat by the year 2030.

The committee members were taken through their roles and mandate as committee members, the guidelines for utilising the HIV component of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), and the key structures through which the GAC leads and coordinates the national response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. They were also taken through the national HIV and AIDS situation as provided for in the National estimates and projections.