Ghana has launched a new national workplace HIV and wellness policy aimed at improving disease prevention, expanding access to healthcare, and protecting workers’ rights across the country.
The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment worked with the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) to develop the policy.
The policy has been designed to address ongoing HIV infections, undiagnosed cases, and stigma in workplaces. The policy also supports Ghana’s broader goal of improving productivity and achieving universal health coverage.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, officially launched the document at a ceremony in Accra.
Government officials, employers, organised labour groups, civil society organisations, development partners, academics, and journalists attended the event.
The policy provides clear guidelines for HIV prevention, voluntary testing, treatment support, and general workplace wellness. It requires employers to protect workers living with HIV and prevent discrimination.
It also instructs employers to maintain confidentiality, ensure safe working conditions, and provide access to support services for affected workers.
In addition, it promotes wider health interventions such as screening for non-communicable diseases, mental health awareness, and referrals into the national health system.
Dr Ayensu-Danquah said the policy plays an important role in Ghana’s development and in protecting the workforce. She encouraged workplaces to actively support education, testing, treatment, and efforts to reduce stigma.
“Employment decisions must remain free from discrimination and grounded in merit. HIV status must never be a basis for discrimination in recruitment, retention, promotion or any other condition of work,” she stated.
She also said workplace health programmes must go beyond HIV awareness to include other major health concerns, especially non-communicable diseases.
The Acting Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr KharmaCelle Prosper Akanbong, said authorities will roll out the policy across all regions.
He added that they will also strengthen monitoring and reporting systems to track progress.
“We will also strengthen the monitoring and reporting systems to track progress and support continuous improvement.
“Partnerships across government, employers, organised legal and civil society, and development partners will also be central in the implementation process of this policy,” he said.
Dr Akanbong said many people living with HIV remain undiagnosed, making workplaces an important entry point for testing and support.
He referred to a 2024 study that estimated 334,000 people in Ghana are living with HIV.
“The AIDS response requires that we leave no one behind.
And so, we can only find people who have the infection by actually reaching out to them at the workplace,” she added.
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Kofi Agyeman
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