LocationsHealth & Social Inclusion | Ghana
Strengthening Capacity of Young People Living with HIV for Improved Uptake of Services
Harnessing digital technology and community-led approaches to empower young people living with HIV to lead healthier lives and meaningfully contribute to Ghana's national HIV response.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 remain disproportionately affected by HIV in Ghana, accounting for approximately a quarter of all new HIV infections in 2023 and 10% of all persons living with HIV in the country. Adolescent girls and young women bear a heightened share of this burden. Beyond the health dimension, young people living with HIV face compounding challenges — stigma and discrimination, isolation, limited leadership opportunities, and internalized barriers that erode self-esteem and treatment adherence. The COVID-19 pandemic deepened these vulnerabilities further by cutting off peer and community support networks that many young people relied on. Recognising that young people living with HIV are not just recipients of services but powerful agents of change, UNDP Ghana and its partners are harnessing digital technology to deliver tailored health and psychosocial support — and investing in the leadership and advocacy capacity of young people to drive the national HIV response from within.
Empowering Young People Living with HIV to Lead
At the heart of this initiative is a co-created mobile application — developed in direct partnership with young persons living with HIV to ensure their unique needs shaped every aspect of its design. The Youth Plus app delivers targeted health and psychosocial information to young users, while a parallel capacity-strengthening programme equips young HIV leaders with the advocacy and leadership skills to influence policies, programmes, and services at the national level. Together, these two streams are building a generation of empowered young people who can navigate their challenges and champion the HIV response in Ghana.
