Attendees At the ICASA Conference 2025
The 23rd edition of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) which was held in Accra, Ghana from the 3rd to the 8th of December 2025 under the theme “Africa in Action: Catalysing Integrated Sustainable Responses to End AIDS, TB & Malaria” called for African leaders to take bold steps forward by investing in health sovereignty, protect rights, empower communities, and embrace innovation to end AIDS as a public health threat especially at a time when global shifts have led to reduced donor support for healthcare.
ICASA, a major bilingual conference held exclusively on the African continent for over 30 years, has played a pivotal role in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, and Malaria, while fostering an environment free from stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV) and their families.
The aim of ICASA conference 2025 was to catalyse Africa’s progress towards triple elimination and the development of sustainable, resilient health systems. It also seeked to drive innovation through digital technologies and strengthen cooperation among governments, civil society, the private sector, and international organizations to enhance health security and improve pandemic preparedness and response. Additionally, the conference also seeked 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 reemerging disease sustainable solutions to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of critical AIDS funding.
The ICASA conference was attended by heads of government delegations, health ministers, global health agencies, UN representatives, leading researchers, civil society groups, PLHIV networks, youth organisations, donor partners, community advocates, and private sector actors from across Africa and beyond. Also in attendance were continental health institutions, regional economic blocs, pharmaceutical stakeholders, and signatories to major global health initiatives, all reaffirming their commitment. INERELA+ Secretariat was represented virtually by its Executive Director, Munya Mandipaza. For INERELA+ Secretariat, ICASA 2025 was an opportunity to amplify the voices and experiences of communities across Africa that continue to bear the greatest burden of HIV, TB, malaria, noncommunicable diseases and other related health issues through its INERELA+ Ghana and INERELA+ Kenya Country representatives.
Delivering her remarks virtually, Munya Mandipaza stressed that there is need to expand access to prevention tools such as long-acting injectables and local manufacturing to ensure that Africa benefits from innovations it helped in developing. Additionally, she emphasized the commitment of INERELA+ in mobilising and empowering Religious Leaders in faith communities using the INERELA+ SAVE model to safeguard rights, improve the health, wellbeing and deliver essential services for a healthier future for all.