In bid to address the huge challenge of sustainability control of HIV-AIDS in Nigeria, The Federal Government said it is working with the United States, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the Global Fund on an initiative aimed at ensuring country ownership and sustainability of national response to HIV-AIDS beyond 2030.
The collaboration came just as the Secretary to the Government of Federation, Senator George Akume, revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to sustaining the initiative to treat more HIV patients annually using resources mobilised locally.
The SGF, who spoke during the commemoration of World AIDS Day in Abuja on Friday, said the government recognised the invaluable contributions of communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
On his part, the Director General of National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Gambo Aliyu, said the leadership of communities of persons living with HIV, key affected populations, women, adolescent and young persons; policy makers, religious, traditional and political leaders, civil society organisations, development partners, organised private sector, the general public and the media has critical role to ending social, cultural, legal and economic inequalities holding back progress to ending AIDS and elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
He said the sustainability agenda was an initiative of NACA in collaboration with its development partners supporting the national HIV response that ensures that community leaders take ownership of the programme.
In addition, he said it is an advocacy tool to the government at all levels to increase HIV financing especially in the light of dwindling resources from donor agencies.
Aliyu said that despite the government’s funding of the national response, evidence showed that the HIV response in Nigeria has really been donor driven.
