The Quiet Crisis among Ghana’s Youth
Kenneth Ankoma-Mensah, Bright Addo & Kamil Fuseini
ABSTRACT
Ghana’s condom market has never been better stocked. A nationwide retail audit across more than 3,800 outlets found male condoms available in 80% of surveyed retail points and over 95% of dedicated health retail channels. The market supports more than 40 brands. Supply, by any reasonable measure, is not a constraint.
And yet, 71.4% of sexually active young Ghanaians did not use a condom during their last sexual encounter. In 2023, 4,869 new HIV infections were recorded among people aged 15–24, more than a quarter of all new infections that year. PrEP, which offers 99% protection when taken consistently, remains unknown to more than 9 in 10 young Ghanaians despite national guidelines, trained workers, and clinical availability.
In this insight brief, we argue that Ghana does not face a supply failure. It faces a translation failure, a profound gap between the prevention tools that exist and the conditions under which people actually use them.
Keywords: HIV prevalence, Condom use, Availability paradox, Retail audit, Youth, Ghana
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