The First Lady of Sierra Leone and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, and the First Lady of The Gambia, Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, are in Accra for a high-level African First Ladies event taking place alongside the 23rd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
The dialogue, hosted on Thursday by Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Dramani Mahama, will center on ending mother-to-child transmission and achieving the triple elimination of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B across the continent.
Discussions will also highlight the role of women leaders in fighting stigma, abuse, and neglect, particularly against women and children, and outline strategies to strengthen protection of their rights.
Mrs. Mahama’s decade-long advocacy through the Lordina Foundation has earned international recognition. She was appointed a Health Ambassador in 2013 to support the Heart-to-Heart HIV campaign and, in 2016, as President of OAFLA, delivered a widely commended address on HIV response and young people’s reproductive rights at the Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights.
The First Ladies of Kenya, Liberia, and a former First Lady of South Africa are also expected to participate in the Accra dialogue.