On December 1, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Shi Ting Wang and his wife, Mrs. Mary Zhao, attended World AIDS Day Durbar at Ho, the capital city of the Volta Region, Ghana. About 500 people attended the event including representatives from UNAIDS, World Health Organization (WHO), Ghana Helath Service (GHS), Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), traditional leaders and people from all walks of life. The director of the Political Section of the Embassy Ms. Lou Danzhu participated in the event.
Ambassador Wang said in his congratulatory message that AIDS is a major menace to global public health as well as one of the common challenges facing China and Ghana. China and Africa have already carried out fruitful cooperation in the field of AIDS prevention and treatment. During the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September this year, H.E. Prof. Peng Liyuan, wife of H.E. President Xi Jinping and 37 spouses of African heads of state and government including H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo participated in a conference on HIV/AIDS prevention and control and jointly launched China and Africa: Join Hands for a Future Free of AIDS. China is willing to work closely with Ghana under the framework of the Forum to realize "A Future without AIDS" at an early date. I believe that Ghana will surely win the fight against AIDS.
Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, delivered a keynote speech on behalf of H.E. President Nana Akufo-Addo, the Chairman of Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) on combating HIV/AIDS. Local cultural troupe performed traditional Volta dances.
Ghana’s World AIDS Day Durbar is a concrete action to implement the China and Africa: Join Hands for a Future Free of AIDS in Ghana with the patronage from the Office of the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana and the Chinese Embassy in Ghana. China has actively supported African countries in combating HIV/AIDS for years. China has sent medical teams to more than 40 African countries to provide medicines, medical equipment and materials free of charge. Cooperation on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment is a key area under the framework of FOCAC.