New HIV infections are rapidly increasing in the Berekum Municipality in the Bono Region, which now has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate at 3.34 percent.

This was revealed by Mark Kyeremeh Oppong, the Bono Regional Technical Officer in charge of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ghana Health Service.

He described the findings from the Ghana AIDS Commission’s 2023 sentinel survey as worrying and noted that the entire Bono Region is experiencing a concerning rise in HIV cases.

Oppong encouraged young people who are sexually active to stay away from premarital sex and avoid having multiple sexual partners. For those who cannot abstain, he advised them to always practice safe sex.

He was speaking at the launch of the “Miss Elegance Tertiary Ghana 2025”, a beauty pageant initiated by the Reproductive Needs and Fitness (RENEF) foundation, a health-centered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

RENEF, an organisation focused on reproductive health and gender equality, is using its 2025 beauty pageant as a platform to encourage students in tertiary institutions to voluntarily test for HIV and AIDS. The campaign aims to help control the rising number of infections.

Oppong expressed concern that the Bono Region has recorded the highest HIV prevalence in the country for three consecutive years. He said the increasing infection rate is troubling and called for urgent research to understand the root causes of the spread.

Abigail Antwi-Baafi, Chief Executive Officer of RENEF, explained that the foundation is using the pageant to strengthen the “Know your HIV status” campaign, with a special focus on getting tertiary students to check their HIV and AIDS status.

“We aim at tackling health and social needs through entertainment,” she stated, and the campaign was also aimed at augmenting the agenda “95-95-95” of the GAC, she stated.

The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has set ambitious treatment targets known as Project 95-95-95, aiming to achieve 95 per cent of people living with HIV knowing their status, 95 per cent of diagnosed individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 per cent of those on ART achieving viral suppression.

As part of the campaign, Antwi-Baafi said free condoms would be distributed to promote condom use and help prevent new HIV infections.

She added that all 12 tertiary institutions, including Technical Universities and Colleges of Education, are taking part in the beauty pageant.