The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) has urged the state’s 57 local government areas and local council development areas to take greater responsibility for HIV prevention, testing and treatment ahead of a planned statewide screening exercise.
The agency said the success of the exercise would depend not only on the number of people screened but also on how effectively those diagnosed with HIV are linked to treatment and retained in care.
The Chief Executive Officer of LSACA, Dr Folakemi Animashaun, gave the directive at the SACA-LACA Coordination Meeting on Wednesday, calling on local authorities to take ownership of HIV interventions within their communities.
Animashaun said the state’s HIV response must extend beyond government planning to the communities where residents live and work.
She urged local authorities to intensify outreach to underserved populations in markets, schools, workplaces, transport communities, faith-based settings and other locations where access to health facilities may be limited.
“The journey does not end with the positive result. In many ways, that is where our responsibility becomes even more important,” she said, emphasising the need for prompt treatment referrals, adherence support and regular viral load monitoring.
According to her, local governments are better positioned to identify underserved communities and populations that could be overlooked by centrally coordinated interventions because of their knowledge of local residents and health facilities.
She therefore called on the 57 LGAs and LCDAs to consider themselves co-owners of the state’s HIV programme rather than mere recipients of interventions from LSACA.
The agency noted that the planned screening exercise would also assess the state’s ability to coordinate HIV services across its local government structure and ensure that people reached are connected to appropriate prevention, treatment and care services.
Animashaun linked the initiative to the Lagos State HIV Sustainability and Strategic Plan 2025–2027 and the proposed HIV Sustainability Roadmap 2027–2037.
She explained that sustaining the state’s HIV response would require more than adequate funding, highlighting the importance of stronger institutions, reliable data systems, effective procurement and supply chains, integration of HIV services into the broader healthcare system and increased government ownership.
Also speaking, LSACA’s Director of Projects, Michael Essien, said the meeting would only achieve its purpose if discussions translated into concrete action at the local government level.
Essien urged LGA and LCDA representatives to identify challenges affecting HIV service delivery in their respective areas and maintain regular communication with the agency to ensure that identified gaps are addressed promptly.
He also stressed the need for effective coordination ahead of the statewide screening exercise to ensure that people reached are not left without access to follow-up care.
Animashaun said the overarching goal was to prevent new HIV infections while ensuring that people living with HIV receive continuous treatment, care and support across Lagos State.
