FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

27^th July 2026, Rio de Janeiro.

The Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) is delighted to announce that Benin has been selected as the host country for the 24^th edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), which will take place in Benin from 5^th to 9^th December 2027 at the ‘Palais des Congrès’, Cotonou. This prestigious event will convene global leaders, community, researchers, advocates, and healthcare professionals to further the continent’s fight against HIV/AIDS, STIs, Hepatitis, Malaria, TB, emerging viral infections and strengthening Africa’s Health systems.

Since its inception in 1989, SAA has been at the forefront of providing a global platform for Africa’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ICASA has become a landmark event, bringing together thousands of delegates from across the globe to share insights, research, and strategies to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic and emerging viral diseases on the African continent.

Over 3,169 participants from 87 countries attended ICASA 2025 in Accra, Ghana. Benin’s selection marks its first time hosting the conference. The choice of Benin as the ICASA 2027 host country is a statement of the country’s leadership through the former president and the current elected president of the Republic of Benin H. E. Romuald Wadagni. The selection process was highly competitive, with Benin’s bid emerging as successful.

ICASA 2027 in Cotonou will be a pivotal moment in advancing Africa’s health systems towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global goal of ending new HIV infections by 2030 and advancing the AU Agenda 2063.

The Society for AIDS In Africa extends its deepest gratitude to the Government of Benin for its unwavering support and commitment to hosting this important event. ICASA 2027 promises to build on the successes of previous editions and further mobilize Africa and the international community in the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Preparations for ICASA 2027 are already underway, and we invite stakeholders, donors, and the global health community to stay updated on the latest developments. The first international steering committee meeting of ICASA 2027 will be held from 23^rd to 24^th November 2026 at Golden Tulip Cotonou, Benin.

For more information on the upcoming conference, please visit our website at http://www.saafrica.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Society for AIDS in Africa was founded in 1989 at the Fourth International Symposium on AIDS and Associated Cancers in Africa (now ICASA) Held in Marseille, France by a group of African scientists, activists, and advocates in response to the HIV epidemic. The establishment of the Society was the effect of the agitations of some African scientists for the conference to be organized on African soil. These agitations began in the preceding year at the end of the third meeting held in Arusha, Tanzania in 1988. The cause of these scientists was supported by the then one of WHO, Director Dr. Peter Piot.

At the 1990 conference held in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an Executive committee was inaugurated to oversee the establishment of the Society and to coordinate a subsequent international conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) conferences. The society was officially registered in Nairobi, Kenya with a functional secretariat in Nigeria. The permanent secretariat of the Society for AIDS in Africa was established in 2009 in Accra-Ghana. For more information on SAA please visit www.saafrica.org

Mr. Luc Armand Bodea
ICASA Director/SAA Coordinator
Permanent Secretariat
Society for AIDS in Africa
Mobile: (+233) (0)543748781
Office Direct: (+233) (0)302913739
Email: lucbodea@saafrica.org
Email: icasadirector@saafrica.org