ACCRA, Ghana– The First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, Mrs. Kartumu Yarta Boakai, has arrived at Ghana’s Jubilee House in Accra to participate in the First Ladies High-Level Meeting on Ending Mother-to-Child Transmission and Achieving the Triple Elimination of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B in Africa.
According to the Executive Mansion, the summit, hosted by Mrs. Lordina Mahama, First Lady of Ghana, is convening First Ladies from across the continent at the presidential palace.
The high-level forum is focused on unifying advocacy and accelerating actionable strategies to eliminate the transmission of these three diseases from mothers to their children, a cornerstone of Africa’s public health agenda.
The conference is convening under the auspices of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development, OAFLAD.
First Lady Boakai’s attendance at this critical meeting highlights Liberia’s strides, alongside its African partners, to advancing maternal and child health and securing a healthier future for the next generation.
Meanwhile, the First Ladies of Sierra Leone and The Gambia have arrived in Accra for the high-level African First Ladies meeting on ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B.
Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, and Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, First Lady of The Gambia, joined Thursday’s side event at the 23rd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Dramani Mahama, is hosting the engagement, which will examine the role of women in leadership in fighting stigmatization, abuse, and neglect of victims, particularly women and children, and outline concrete steps to protect their rights.
Mrs. Mahama and her Lordina Foundation have gained international recognition for their health advocacy and humanitarian assistance for vulnerable populations over the past decade.
In 2013, she was appointed a Health Ambassador to support the Heart-to-Heart campaign and champion the cause of HIV/AIDS patients in Ghana.
In February 2016, Mrs. Mahama, then serving as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), delivered a message on the need for proactive responses to HIV and the sexual and reproductive rights of young people at the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Accra.
The First Lady of Kenya along with a former First Lady of South Africa, are also expected in Accra for the meeting.
