Assembly member for Adantia in the Sunyani West District, Mrs. Agartha Mansa Siaw, has urged politicians to make the fight of HIV/AIDS a priority and to identify remedies that would help prevent the spread of the disease in the country.   
    
She asked politicians to play active and concerted role in the fight against the disease that had become a national canker.
    
She made the call at a durbar organized jointly by the African Media Aid, African Assistance Plan and Glorious Victory Ministries, all non-governmental organisations (NGOs), at Adantia to mark the celebration of this year’s World AIDS Day.
    
She said that Ghana was losing a significant per cent of her working force to HIV/AIDS but little attention and support was being given to curb the disease.
    
Mr. Siaw expressed worry about the upsurge of sexual promiscuity among the youth in the district and urged chiefs to support the promotion of the use of condom.
    
He also called on the assembly to enact bye-laws to ban pupils and students from attending video shows, concerts, funerals and other social events.
    
Chief of Adantia, Nana Kwame Apraku II, called for the reinforcement of cultural practices such as puberty rites to control illicit sexual practices among the youth.
    
He appealed to parents to provide their children, especially the girls with their basic necessities and educate them on the dangers associated with premarital sex.
    
Chief Executive Officer of African Media Aid, Mr. Godlove Rapheal Ahenu, said government spent huge sums of money annually on the control of HIV/AIDS and urged the people to change their sexual habit.
    
He advised the public to desist from stigmatizing people living with HIV/AIDS to help prevent the spread of the disease.
    
Mr. Ahenu said the NGO would initiate a programme to help control drug abuse, spread of HIV/AIDS and illegal abortion among the youth in the area.
    
He said “Pupils and students in all communities in the district will be provided with learning and teaching materials, as well as basic needs of life under the 250 million dollars five-year project.”

Ghanadistricts