GHANET launches online platform for free HIV self-test kit requests across Ghana

Pinned summary · as of 07:13

The Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET) has opened a website where people anywhere in Ghana can order HIV self-test kits in private. The platform, selftestghana.online, went live on 1 October 2026 and is meant to widen access to testing at a time when many people living with the virus do not know their status.

What we know

• GHANET launched a national online platform, selftestghana.online, through which Ghanaians can confidentially request HIV self-test kits. It became operational on 1 October 2026.
• Technical help in building the platform came from Abbott Rapid Diagnostics, UNAIDS, the WHO, the Ghana AIDS Commission and the National AIDS/STI Control Programme. The Global Fund, the Health Ministry and the Ghana Health Service oversee the rollout.
• GHANET said the kits are free, but people ordering them may pay a small delivery charge that depends on where they live. Companies can also order kits for their employees through the platform.
• Users also get a map with directions to over 700 centres across the country that provide antiretroviral treatment.
• GHANET presented the initiative as part of Ghana's HIV response and of the worldwide push to stop AIDS from being a threat to public health by 2030.
• Ghana AIDS Commission figures cited by GHANET show prevalence of 1.4 per cent in 2025. An estimated 337,435 people live with the virus, and 101,292 of them are unaware of their status. Women make up 65 per cent of that group and men 35 per cent.
• The data counted 13,951 new infections in 2025, and 12,051 people died of AIDS-related causes. GHANET said Ghana reached 70-81-92 against the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, which means the country fell short of them.
• GHANET added a five-year tally of 80,766 new HIV infections and 65,114 deaths linked to AIDS, and said the numbers show a need for new strategies and more investment.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Citi Newsroom reported that the website also carries information on prevention, treatment, counselling, myths, disclosure, partner testing, stigma and sexually transmitted infections. Kumasi Mail did not mention this content, so it has not been confirmed by other reports.
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  Kumasi Mail reported that GHANET asked the government to fund the national HIV response in full so that medicines, condoms, lubricants and test kits stay in steady supply, and urged investment in newer prevention products such as lenacapavir, cabotegravir and the dapivirine vaginal ring. These appeals appear in only one report.
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  According to Kumasi Mail, GHANET President Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin pledged to work with stakeholders, especially the media, on public education about HIV, saying "Together we must win this fight". GHANET also urged regular testing, treatment adherence among pregnant women and mothers living with HIV, and stronger efforts against stigma. This is from one report only.

Why it matters for Ghana

More than 100,000 people in Ghana are estimated to be living with HIV without knowing it, and fear of being seen at a clinic can put some people off testing. A private, home-delivered kit could make a first test easier for people in Accra, Kumasi and in towns far from a testing centre. Employers can now arrange testing for their workers, and the map of treatment centres helps anyone who tests positive find care.