By Ojoma Akor
The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has said that Nigeria remains firmly on track to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Director General of the agency, Dr. Temitope Ilori, stated this yesterday in Abuja during a news briefing ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day. The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Overcoming Disruption: Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response”.
She said the federal government will not stop until that goal is achieved.
She said, “Over the past year, Nigeria has continued to record important achievements in its HIV response. We have maintained an impressive 87–98–95 performance toward the global 95–95–95 targets, demonstrating significant progress in diagnosis, treatment coverage, and viral suppression nationwide. 87% of people living with HIV in Nigeria know their status. 98% of those who know their status are on life-saving treatment. 95% of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression—meaning they cannot transmit HIV.”
She also said that in the last decade, Nigeria has recorded a 46% decline in new HIV infections, and more Nigerians living with HIV are enrolled and retained in care than ever before.
According to her, state-led efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission have strengthened early infant diagnosis and pediatric treatment, though these areas continue to require focused attention.
She said that the federal government’s collaboration with civil society and community-led organizations has further strengthened community systems, helping to expand access to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services, especially among key populations, adolescents, and young people.
“In 2024 alone, 204,201 individuals from key populations were actively receiving anti-retroviral therapy, with strong viral suppression rates among those retained in care,” she said.
The DG NACA also highlighted that domestic resource mobilization efforts are deepening, with several states increasing budget allocations and strengthening HIV Trust Funds to enhance sustainability and national ownership.
“When global funding uncertainties threatened to disrupt essential services, the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stepped in decisively, injecting $200 million to ensure uninterrupted delivery of HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services as well as allied infections.
“It was leadership in action, expressing Nigeria’s commitment to its people.
We have also made measurable progress in integrating HIV services into broader health systems across the 36+1 states of the federation. With the establishment of the AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria technical working group (ATM-TWG) and an increased enrollment of people living with HIV into state health insurance schemes, we are improving efficiency and long-term program sustainability, ” she added.
However, she said that despite these gains, significant challenges remain. She noted that over the past few years, Nigeria—like the rest of the world—has faced unprecedented disruptions: a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, fluctuating donor support, and shifts in the worldwide health financing landscape.
“Yet, despite these challenges, Nigeria’s HIV response has not faltered. It has adapted. It has innovated. It has endured,” she stated.
She said that stigma and discrimination continue to limit access to services for many Nigerians, adding that heavy reliance on external funding threatens the long-term sustainability of achievements.
“Nigeria still contributes a disproportionate share of global paediatric HIV infections, underscoring the need to accelerate progress in PMTCT. Furthermore, hard-to-reach and insecure areas remain undeserved, and economic pressures continue to affect service continuity and supply chains,” she said.
Dr Ilori said in 2026 and beyond, the agency’s focus would be on scaling up domestic financing by deepening collaboration with states, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations to operationalize HIV Trust Funds and strengthen political commitment.
She said, “We will intensify implementation of the PMTCT Acceleration Plan to ensure that every pregnant woman is tested, linked to care, and retained on treatment.
“Prevention efforts for key and vulnerable populations will be expanded, including wider access to PrEP and differentiated service delivery models tailored to the needs of adolescents, young people, and key populations. ”
Dr Ilori said Nigeria is also advancing local production of anti-retrovirals and other HIV commodities to strengthen national self-reliance and reduce dependence on imports.
“Above all, we will continue to strengthen multi-sectoral coordination as ending AIDS requires contributions from education, youth, gender, labour, and social protection sectors,” she added.
Gabriel Undelikwo, representative of UNAIDS, said there are global challenges occasioned by funding cost, which affect the key component of the HIV response, particularly preventing resilience.
He applauded Nigeria’s leadership for demonstrating a commitment to transforming the sector, strengthening national assistance, securing local financing, and ensuring access to treatment while sustaining national programs.
He further said that achieving the SDG target of ending AIDS by 2030 requires transformative approaches that mitigate risk, sustain services, and accelerate impact.
“We need to sustain the national leadership partnership, sustain integration and greater collaboration and community empowerment, because we believe that together we did, we are overcoming the disruption and maintaining the national response to HIV. ”
Omoniyi Amos, of the World Health Organisation (WHO), commended the government of Nigeria for being one of the early adopter countries of the new HIV prevention twice-yearly shot lenacapavir, and for putting in place the enablers for its availability in the country by 2026.
He said this year’s theme, “Overcoming Disruptions; Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response,” calls on us to rethink and redefine our response and to rise above the challenges posed by an unstable funding landscape that threatens decades of progress.
“It also reminds us of the urgency to protect the gains we have made to safeguard lives, by protecting the systems that support Hiv prevention, treatment, and care, while accelerating progress through innovations. One of such innovations is the use of long-acting Hiv prevention medicines like Lenacapavir, which requires only two injections in a year,” he added.
Dr Patrick Dakum, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Human Virology (IHVN), Nigeria, who was represented by Dr Martin Edun, Programme Manager, Non-communicable Diseases/Programme Integration, said IHVN remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that disruptions, whether economic, social, or systemic, do not derail progress.
