The Federal Government has unveiled a new strategy that will integrate HIV interventions into healthcare, education, youth development, gender and justice sectors as part of efforts to build a sustainable and nationally owned response to HIV/AIDS.
The strategy, contained in the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2026–2030, launched in Abuja on Thursday, also prioritises innovation, systemic strengthening and increased focus on adolescents and young people, amid concerns over dwindling donor funding.
Speaking at the launch on Thursday in Abuja, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Temitope Ilori, said Nigeria had reached a critical point in its fight against HIV/AIDS and must adopt a new model for financing and implementing programmes.
Ilori noted that while the country had made significant progress in reducing new infections and expanding access to treatment over the last two decades, rejecting external support and changing realities made a transition to a more sustainable system necessary.
“The HIV response stands at a very defining moment. Over the past two decades, the country has made significant progress in reducing infections and expanding access to treatment. This has been supported by strong partnerships, global solidarity and sustained national commitment,” she said.
“A central driver for this new plan is the recognition that the current donor-dependent model is no longer sustainable. With dwindling external funding, Nigeria must transition to a new business model with emphasis on sustainability, country ownership and a country-led response,” she added.
Ilori further explained that the new framework prioritises integrating HIV interventions into broader sectors such as healthcare, education, youth development, gender and justice to improve efficiency and strengthen service delivery.
“The NSP introduces a transformative approach anchored on integration, innovation and systemic strengthening. Prevention is being reframed to address both current and future risks, with greater focus on the general population, especially adolescents and young people,” she said.
She also stated that the strategy was made possible through broad consultations involving government agencies, civil society organisations, networks of people living with HIV, development partners, technical experts, the private sector and persons with disabilities.
Also speaking, the Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr John Ovuoraye, called on stakeholders to focus on implementing the plan rather than allowing it to remain a policy document.
“We now have a strategic plan. The question is, what next? Let this not be another document that sits on the shelf. We must engage with it, understand it and implement it accordingly,” Ovuoraye said.
He stressed that the plan will promote inclusivity, particularly for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
“We are promoting inclusive health and universal health coverage. This strategic plan reflects our commitment to ensuring that nobody is left behind,” he said.
Representing the United Nations Joint Team on HIV/AIDS, Dr Doris Ogba said the NSP is a crucial roadmap for achieving national and global HIV targets, including the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals.
“The NSP is an all-important document for the HIV response. It sets out what we want to do, how we want to do it, the strategies we will employ and the targets we have set for ourselves.
“Let us engage with the document, adapt it for our local programmes and use it to guide our interventions. Together, it can help us achieve the 95-95-95 targets and move closer to ending AIDS in Nigeria,” Ogba said.
The National Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Dr Abdulkadri Ibrahim, commended the launch of the plan, noting that it is a timely guide for the country’s HIV response.
“This is a guiding document, and we are happy to have it at this critical point in time. We will continue to use the data, the evidence and the strategies outlined in the plan to drive programmes across the country,” Ibrahim said.
(The Whistler)
