Amid shrinking international donor support, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has said it is intensifying efforts to sustain Nigeria’s HIV response through domestic financing, local drug production, and health insurance coverage.
The agency’s Director General, Temitope Ilori, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the 7th National Council on AIDS (NCA) on Tuesday in Lagos.
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Ms Ilori acknowledged that while donor funding had played a huge role in Nigeria’s HIV response, the country could no longer afford to rely solely on external sources.
The three-day event brought together delegates from 36 states and the federal capital territory (FCT), development partners, civil society organisations, and the patient community to deliberate on strategies for advancing the national HIV sustainability agenda.
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The event, organised by NACA, in collaboration with the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), is themed: “Advancing National HIV Sustainability Agenda in the Changing Global Policy on Aid.”
Ms Ilori said the priority going forward is to ensure “continuity of treatment for people living with HIV, avoid service disruptions, eliminate stigma and discrimination, and sustain the gains achieved over the years.”
Strategic shift
Ms Ilori emphasised the need for increased political commitment and stronger domestic financing.
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“Nigerian governments at all levels must take ownership. That means increasing budgetary allocations, ensuring timely release of funds, and showing strong political will,” she said.
“We must reduce our dependence on international donors.”
Outlining NACA’s new strategies, Ms Ilori said the agency has prioritised domestic resource mobilisation through advocacy and private sector engagement.
She said NACA is collaborating with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to enrol people living with HIV into national health insurance schemes.
“This will help ensure long-term access to care,” she explained. “We are also engaging with faith-based organisations and other community groups to help meet additional needs.”
Ms Ilori also highlighted the integration of HIV services into broader health programmes under the sector-wide approach of the Ministry of Health.
“When we talk about HIV, we should also be talking about maternal and child health, tuberculosis, malaria, and so on,” she said.
“The health sector itself must be well funded, and HIV, being a vulnerable group, should be given some special consideration.”
She said there are now two plants in Nigeria packaging HIV test kits locally, and discussions are ongoing with pharmaceutical companies to begin local production of antiretroviral drugs.
“This will help reduce costs and ensure availability,” she said.
Lagos interventions
In her welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of LSACA, Folakemi Animashaun, described the Council as a turning point in Nigeria’s HIV response.
Ms Animashaun urged federal, state, and local governments to take full responsibility.
“The HIV response must be localised and sustained,” she said. “This means political commitment, financing, and data-driven programme delivery at all levels.”
Ms Animashaun said Lagos is focusing on integrating HIV services with mental health, reproductive health, and gender-based violence response.
She also highlighted the need to scale up long-acting PrEP and injectable antiretroviral treatments.
“We are working toward strengthening health systems across all 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs, with a strong focus on service integration. We are engaging stakeholders on how best to align HIV programming with mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and GBV response services,” she said.
“We are also exploring opportunities to scale up PrEP and pilot long-acting injectable treatments. In addition, we are reviewing our data systems, budgeting processes, and coordination frameworks to better align with national HIV sustainability goals.”
In her address, the First Lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who served as Mother of the Day, pledged her support for the national HIV sustainability agenda.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu described HIV as a developmental challenge that affects families, communities, and the economy.
“We are committed to cascading HIV interventions to the grassroots, using the same model we applied during the Stop TB campaign,” she said.
She praised the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, for championing the national Triple Elimination Initiative, which targets the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B.
“We must continue to collaborate across all levels to ensure women, children, and vulnerable groups are protected,” she said.
The Council is expected to review progress on “12 resolutions from the 6th NCA and examine new memoranda-to guide future policy and programming” of HIV response in Nigeria.
Council deliberations
In her welcome address, the NACA DG noted that the National Council on AIDS is the highest policy platform for coordinating Nigeria’s HIV response.
Ms Ilori described it as a forum for reflection, realignment, and renewed action.
“This Council is not just a statutory obligation under the NACA Establishment Act of 2006,” she said.
She identified three core focus areas of the 7th Council: sustainability amid changing donor support, multi-sectoral collaboration, and sub-national strengthening.
On sustainability, she said efforts are underway to make programmes more efficient and resilient through domestic financing, local manufacturing, and health insurance.
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On multi-sectoral collaboration, she noted that HIV response cannot be isolated from education, economic empowerment, and social welfare systems.
She also emphasised the importance of empowering State Agencies for the Control of AIDS (SACAs) and Local Action Committees on AIDS (LACAs).
“The government has prioritised life-saving commodities under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu,” she said. “A $200 million intervention fund has been approved to bridge funding gaps.”
She also mentioned the ongoing pilot of a sustainability plan for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in seven states, including Lagos, with support from UNAIDS and the Global Fund.
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