Nigeria has unveiled a new National HIV Prevention Plan for 2026–2030, marking a major shift from a largely treatment-driven response to a broader, prevention-focused strategy anchored on behavioural change and multi-sectoral collaboration.
The plan, launched on Wednesday in Abuja, is designed to respond to evolving infection patterns and address persistent gaps in the country’s HIV response.
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Speaking at the launch, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kachollom Daju, said the plan reflects a long-needed adjustment in national priorities.
Ms Daju, who was represented by the Director of Port Health Services at the ministry, Bilqisu Idris, said that for too long, the national response has been disproportionately weighted toward treatment and reactive interventions, noting that the plan will correct the imbalance.
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She explained that the new framework emphasises prevention by developing personal and social values among young people.
“The cultivation of self-respect, foresight, responsibility, and critical thinking represents an approach that transcends the specific pathology of HIV,” she said.
She noted that such an approach is designed as a long-term investment, adding that it does not yield immediate, quantifiable metrics, such as the number of pills consumed or condoms distributed.
Despite the shift, she said the government would continue to prioritise treatment and care.
“The ministry retains its solemn responsibility for the elimination of vertical transmission, for ensuring access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, harm reduction services, and comprehensive care for people living with HIV,” she said.
She added that key populations and those already living with HIV would remain central to government interventions, while clinical services and treatment-as-prevention would continue as core pillars.
Changing pattern of infection
Speaking at the launch, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, said current data informed the new plan on HIV transmission in Nigeria.
Ms Ilori said nine out of 10 new adult infections now occur among ordinary Nigerians who do not fit traditional ‘high-risk’ categories.
She added that this trend makes previous approaches less effective.
“It is clear that we cannot treat our way out of this epidemic, and waiting for vulnerability to manifest is no longer epidemiologically sustainable,” she said.
She described the document as ‘a fundamental reimagining of Nigeria’s HIV response’.
She added that classrooms, sports fields, religious gatherings, and community meetings are now the agency’s frontlines.
According to her, the plan requires coordination across sectors and institutions.
“We have a multi-sectoral coordination challenge of unprecedented scale,” she said, noting that HIV prevention would need to be integrated into the plans of ministries, departments and agencies.
Nigeria has one of the highest HIV burdens globally, with more than two million people living with the virus, according to data from NACA.
Although access to treatment has expanded, with over 1.7 million people on antiretroviral therapy, the country still records about 43,000 HIV-related deaths annually and continues to face gaps in prevention, particularly in halting mother-to-child transmission.
Inclusivity, data concerns
The National Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Abdulkadir Ibrahim, highlighted the role of data in shaping the new approach.
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Mr Ibrahim said data has been the source of Nigeria’s problem in the past few years, noting that the country doesn’t know the future.
He also pointed to the inclusion of people living with HIV in the prevention strategy.
He noted that people living with HIV are being placed ‘ at the core centre of their intervention,’ particularly through prevention strategies linked to treatment.
He said that engagement with communities, including young people and key populations, had increased in the lead-up to the plan.
“Throughout this year, they have been engaging with communities, ranging from the young population, key population, and even people living with HIV. So you could see that inclusivity,” he said.
He added that NEPWHAN would support implementation through its nationwide structure, including youth and women groups.
