The Evolution of the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA)
Towards the end of the 20th century, the HIV and AIDS epidemic emerged as one of the most devastating global health crises, defying the most aggressive scientific efforts to combat it. With over 30 million people infected and an estimated 10 million deaths, the epidemic evolved from a public health issue into a broader development challenge that threatened the African renaissance.
Founding of the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA)
In response to this crisis, the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) was founded in 1989 during the Fourth International Symposium on AIDS and Associated Cancers in Africa (now known as ICASA), held in Marseille, France. The initiative was led by a group of African scientists, activists, and advocates who had long called for the conference to be hosted on African soil a demand that had first been raised in 1988 during the Third Symposium in Arusha, Tanzania. Their cause received strong support from Dr. Peter Piot, then Director of the World Health Organization (WHO).
At the 1990 conference in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an Executive Committee was established to formalize the creation of the Society and to coordinate future ICASA meetings. The Society was officially registered in Nairobi, Kenya, where the Secretariat was initially based.
Founding Members
The founding members of SAA included:
Prof. Souleymane Mboup (Senegal), Prof. Léopold Kaptue (Cameroon), Dr. Sam Okware (Uganda), Prof. Femi Soyinka (Nigeria), Prof. A. Kadio and Prof. Gershey-Damet (Côte d’Ivoire), Dr. Patrick Kenya and Dr. Owili (Kenya), Dr. M. Pelle (Congo-Brazzaville), Dr. Kalenganyi and Dr. Kapita (DRC), Prof. Fred S. Mhalu (Tanzania), Prof. Nkandu Luo (Zambia), Prof. L. Latif (Zimbabwe), Dr. Abdulrahman Sow (Mauritania), Dr. Phyllis Kanki (USA), Prof. Abdellah Benslimane (Morocco), Dr. Fatia Mohamoud (Sudan), and Prof. Ahmed Zribi (Tunisia).
Early Leadership and Regional Representation
The first election of regional delegates was held in October 1990 in Kinshasa, DRC, based on WHO’s regional classification of sub-Saharan Africa.
- Region 1: Souleymane Mboup (Senegal), Prof. Femi Soyinka (Nigeria), Prof. A. Kadio and Prof. Gershey-Damet (Côte d’Ivoire)
- Region 2: Léopold Kaptue (Cameroon), Dr. Dundu Malaki Owili (Kenya), Dr. Pierre Mpelle (Congo-Brazzaville), Dr. Karengenyi (DRC)
- Region 3: Fred S. Mhalu (Tanzania), Prof. Nkandu Luo (Zambia), Prof. L. Latif (Zimbabwe)
- Region 3 (EMCO): Abdellah Benslimane (Morocco), Dr. Fatia Mohamoud (Sudan), and Prof. Ahmed Zribi (Tunisia)
Prof. Abdellah Benslimane later became the first President of SAA. Key figures who contributed to the early formation of the Society also included Prof. K. Kallings (Sweden), Prof. Peter Piot (Geneva), and Dr. Abdulrahman Sow (Geneva).
Institutional Growth and ICASA Expansion
At the 1993 Morocco meeting led by Prof. Abdellah Benslimane, the SAA Council unanimously adopted a decision to hold ICASA biennially (previously held every two years without a set structure). The first biennial ICASA took place in Kampala, Uganda, in 1995.
Under its second President, Dr. Pierre Kilebou Mpele (1995–2005), ICASA was hosted in:
- Côte d’Ivoire (1997)
- Lusaka, Zambia (1999)
- Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (2001)
- Nairobi, Kenya (2003)
- Abuja, Nigeria (2005)
During ICASA 1997 in Côte d’Ivoire, under pressure from civil society and SAA’s advocacy, French President Jacques Chirac launched the first major initiative to supply antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in Africa a landmark moment that transformed HIV response across the continent.
The 2005 Abuja ICASA, supported by Nigerian President General Olusegun Obasanjo, led to the Abuja Declaration, reaffirming African leaders’ commitment to allocate 15% of national budgets to health. Dr. Mpele remains the only SAA President to have served two consecutive terms.
Strengthening the Secretariat and Institutional Memory
In 2005, Prof. Femi Soyinka was elected President and organized ICASA 2005. Recognizing the Society’s lack of institutional memory, he established a functional Secretariat headed by Mr. Luc Armand Bodea. With the support of Dr. Meskerem Bekele (UNAIDS West and Central Africa), Prof. Soyinka strengthened the organization’s structure and introduced a formal process for selecting ICASA host countries. This led to the first ICASA under the new system in 2008 in Senegal, with Prof. Souleymane Mboup as Conference President.
Following ICASA 2008, SAA established its Permanent Secretariat and Headquarters in Accra, Ghana 2009.
Consolidation and Leadership Continuity
Subsequent leadership transitions further institutionalized SAA’s role:
- Robert Soudre (2009–2014): Organized ICASA 2011 (Ethiopia) and ICASA 2013 (Cape Town, South Africa).
- Ihab Hamed (2014–2018): Led ICASA 2015 (Zimbabwe) and ICASA 2017 (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire).
- John Idoko (2018–2021): Oversaw ICASA 2019 (Kigali, Rwanda) and ICASA 2021 (Durban, South Africa).
Since ICASA 2011, the structure evolved so that the SAA President also serves as ICASA President, while the ICASA Director coordinates both the SAA and ICASA Secretariats. The current and seventh President of SAA is Hon. Dr. David Parirenyatwa Pagwesese (2022 – 2025).
Evolution Beyond Conferences
Over time, SAA grew from a conference-organizing body into a continental movement, a network of scientists, policymakers, activists, and communities united in the fight for an HIV-free Africa. The Society expanded its mandate to include health systems strengthening, research promotion, and multi-sectoral collaboration among governments, civil society, and development partners.
Strategic Direction and Institutional Vision
Recognizing the need for sustainable growth and impact, SAA developed long-term strategic frameworks, beginning with the 2005–2010 Strategic Plan every 5 years SAA review and develop new Strategic plan. This plan repositioned SAA as a continental leader in health advocacy and governance, focusing on four strategic pillars:
- Institutional Strengthening
- Advocacy and Partnerships
- Research Promotion
- Youth and Community Empowerment
This framework enhanced transparency, deepened partnerships, and elevated SAA’s visibility and credibility across Africa.
With its permanent headquarters in Accra, Ghana, the Society for AIDS in Africa today stands as a testament to visionary African leadership and collective resilience. Guided by its Executive Council representing all regions of the continent, SAA continues to inspire, mobilize, and connect Africa’s response to HIV, AIDS, and other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.
The Legacy of ICASA
Each ICASA conference has carried a message of hope and determination from the early days of “Struggle Against AIDS in Africa” in Kinshasa (1990)
- 1986, Brussels, Belgium: AIDS in Africa
- 1987, Naples, Italy: Science in Challenging AIDS
- 1988, Arusha, Tanzania: AIDS and Associated Cancers in Africa
- 1989, Marseille, France: Epidemiology of AIDS in Africa
- 1990, Kinshasa, DR Congo: Struggle Against AIDS in Africa
- 1991, Dakar, Senegal
- 1992, Yaoundé, Cameroon: Clean and Safe Blood for All
- 1993, Marrakech, Morocco: Africa Unity Against AIDS and STDs
- 1995, Kampala, Uganda: Challenges and Hopes
- 1997, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: AIDS and Development
- 1999, Lusaka, Zambia: Looking into the Future: Setting Priorities for HIV/AIDS
- 2001, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: The Communities Commit Themselves
- 2003, Nairobi, Kenya: Access to Care: Challenges
- 2005, Abuja, Nigeria: HIV/AIDS and Family
- 2008, Dakar, Senegal: Africa’s Response: Face the Facts
- 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Own, Scale-Up and Sustain
- 2013, Cape Town, South Africa: Now More Than Ever, Targeting Zero
- 2015, Harare, Zimbabwe: AIDS in Post-2015 Era: Linking Leadership, Science & Human Rights
- 2017, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: Africa: Ending AIDS – Delivering Differently
- 2019, Kigali, Rwanda: AIDS-Free Africa – Innovation, Community, and Political Leadership
- 2021, Durban, South Africa: Africa’s AIDS Response: The Race to 2030 – Evidence. Scale Up. Accelerate.
- 2023, Harare, Zimbabwe: AIDS Is Not Over: Address Inequalities, Accelerate Inclusion and Innovation to the rallying cry of “Africa in Action: Catalysing Integrated Sustainable Responses to End AIDS, TB & Malaria” in Accra, Ghana (2025).
Through decades of relentless effort, the Society for AIDS in Africa has remained an institution reminding the world that Africa’s strength lies not only in its resilience, but in its ability to unite, innovate, and lead its own transformation.