Date: 22nd to 23rd May 2025
Venue: Mensvic Grand Hotel

The Abstract Mentoring/Writing Workshop was organized as part of efforts to enhance the abstract writing capacity of young scientists, community and programme staff from the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) regional offices in preparation for upcoming ICASA 2025 Conference. The workshop was organized in partnership with the Society for AIDS in Africa, organisers of ICASA and CDC Ghana. The primary objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of participants in scientific abstract development and submission. The workshop also aimed to provide practical mentoring to participants through one-on-one and group sessions with experienced mentors.

Introductory remarks were made by Dr. Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong, Acting Director General of Ghana AIDS Commission, Mr. Luc Armand Bodea, ICASA Director and SAA Coordinator and Mr. Silas Quaye, Associate Director of Programs, CDC Ghana.

Mr. Luc Armand Bodea, ICASA Director on behalf of the Society for AIDS in Africa congratulated Dr. Emmanuel Teviu on his appointment as Acting Program Manager of Ghana’s National AIDS Control Programme. He Also expressed his support for this initiative by Ghana AIDS Commission. Mr. Bodea called for intensifying HIV prevention efforts, particularly among youth and high-risk populations. As Ghana prepares to host ICASA 2025 from 3rd–8th December at the Accra International Conference Centre, stakeholders were urged to maximize the opportunity by submitting impactful abstracts and crafting a national strategy to build capacity in Abstract writing to benefit fully from the conference.

Mr. Luc Armand Bodea highlighted some of the key goals of Ghana hosting ICASA 2025 which included:

• Boosting domestic HIV financing.
• Winning all five Prof. Femi Soyinka “Best Abstract” awards (USD 1,000 each).
• Securing the Edith Bongo “Best Young female Researcher” award (USD 5,000).
• Positioning Ghana as a leading hub for African hospitality and investment.

The workshop recorded the participation of over 50 participants coming from the 16 regions of Ghana, including staff from the Ghana AIDS Commission’s regional offices. Participants were assigned to smaller groups for tailored mentorship and support. The following mentors who facilitated the workshop were Prof. William Ampofo, Dr. Yayra Bonney and Dr. Samuel Dery. Mr. Gordon Tambro, SAA Senior Programme Officer, was in attendance to provide insight on the ICASA Abstract management system to support the workshop.

Participants were divided into three groups, each guided by one of the assigned mentors. Throughout the two-day workshop, mentees worked closely with their mentors to draft, revise, and finalize their abstracts. Each group engaged in hands-on sessions focused on improving writing style, aligning with ICASA abstract requirements, and utilizing the ICASA abstract submission portal.

The two-day agenda included welcome remarks, technical presentations, and multiple working sessions. Notable sessions included the ICASA abstract selection criteria, live demonstration of the submission portal, and continuous mentorship by subject matter experts.

Mr. Isaiah Doe Kwao, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ghana AIDS Commission, thanked the partners, CDC for financing the workshop and to SAA for Technical support. He also thanked the mentors who took time out of their busy schedules to mentor and finally to the participants for taking part in the workshop. The workshop was successful in equipping participants with the knowledge and skills required to prepare high-quality abstracts. Participants expressed satisfaction with the practical nature of the sessions and the personalized support from mentors. A number of abstracts were finalized by the end of the workshop and prepared for submission to ICASA 2025 Ghana by the 30^th May 2025 deadline for abstract submission.