ICASA 2027 expected to bring global health leaders to Cotonou as Africa pushes to end AIDS by 2030
By Bunmi Yekini
Benin will host Africa’s biggest conference on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections for the first time in 2027 after winning a competitive bid to stage the continent’s flagship public health gathering, the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) said.
The 24th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) will take place from Dec. 5 to 9, 2027, at the Palais des Congrès in Cotonou, bringing together policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals, community organisations and development partners to discuss Africa’s response to HIV/AIDS and other major infectious diseases.
The conference will also focus on sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis, emerging viral infections and efforts to strengthen health systems across the continent.
SAA said Benin was selected after a competitive bidding process, marking the first time the West African nation will host the conference since ICASA was launched in 1989.
The organisation said the choice reflected Benin’s growing leadership in public health and acknowledged the support of the country’s current and former political leadership in securing the event.
More than 3,100 delegates from 87 countries attended the 2025 edition of ICASA in Accra, Ghana, underlining the conference’s role as one of Africa’s largest platforms for sharing scientific research, policy innovations and strategies to tackle HIV and other infectious diseases.
Organisers said the 2027 conference would contribute to Africa’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, support the global target of ending new HIV infections by 2030 and advance the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
SAA thanked the Beninese government for its commitment to hosting the event and said preparations had already begun.
The first international steering committee meeting for ICASA 2027 is scheduled for Nov. 23-24, 2026, in Cotonou, where organisers are expected to begin detailed planning for the conference.