The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced plans to introduce the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) nationwide in September 2025 as part of efforts to prevent cervical cancer among women by vaccinating girls aged 9-14 years.
To ensure a successful rollout, the Service held a stakeholder engagement with key partners in the education sector on Friday, June 20, 2025.
Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Director-General of the Service, in his address, highlighted the national importance of the campaign and emphasized the need for collective support to protect the health of young Ghanaian girls.
He noted that Ghana first introduced the HPV vaccine in 2013 in the Greater Accra, Central, and Northern regions, with careful monitoring for any side effects.
Adding that after 12 years of successful implementation in these areas, the country is now ready to expand the rollout nationwide to protect the next generation of women.
He further assured the public of the safety of the vaccine, adding “HPV vaccines are safe and well-tolerated. Our Food and Drugs Authority has done its due diligence, and today, Ghana joins 144 WHO member states in implementing this bold step to safeguard our girls,” he said.
Prof. Akoriyea added that the intervention is being provided by the Government at no cost to recipients and will be available as part of Ghana’s routine national immunisation programme.
In support of the campaign, UNICEF Ghana’s Chief of Health and Nutrition, Dr. Manuel Dewez, expressed optimism about Ghana’s readiness and confirmed the country’s receipt of its first HPV vaccine consignment, with an additional 2.5 million doses expected in the coming months.
The agency acknowledged the critical role of cross-sectoral collaboration and called for sustained coordination to overcome logistical and financing challenges.
Providing a technical overview on behalf of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, Dr. Nazir Tanko Mohammed, Deputy Programme Manager, indicated that cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Ghana, with more than 2,800 new cases each year.
The vaccination exercise, he said, will follow a single-dose regimen and will be administered through school-based and community outreach strategies.
He added that this approach draws from successful global evidence and is expected to reach over 2.5 million girls across the country.
The stakeholder engagement concluded with a strong call for action from all sectors.
The Service encouraged educators, health workers, caregivers, and the media to support the campaign through sensitization, preregistration of eligible girls, and creating enabling environments for vaccination.
