07/08/2025
SANWO-OLU CHARGES STATES ON HIV FUNDING, SUSTAINABILITY AT NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AIDS
..Donor aid is shrinking, Nigeria must take full ownership — Lagos Governor
..Council adopts resolutions to drive subnational domestic financing and treatment access
The 7th National Council on AIDS (NCA), hosted by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in collaboration with the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), has ended with a renewed national resolve to transition from donor dependency to a sustainable, domestically driven HIV response.
Held at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, and themed “Advancing the National HIV Sustainability Agenda in the Changing Global Policy on Aid”, the three-day gathering brought together delegates from the 36 states and FCT, development partners, civil society, and the private sector to review policy directions and chart a path forward for Nigeria’s HIV response amidst dwindling foreign assistance.
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who declared the Council closed, described the forum as “a platform of substance and purpose,” adding that the resolutions reached must not end as mere documentation but must be reflected in budgets, legislation, and the lived experiences of Nigerians.
According to the Governor, “As global donor support gradually wanes, our responsibility has become even more pressing: to take full ownership of our national HIV response and build sustainable, resilient systems that can outlast policy shifts and funding cycles.” He emphasized the strategic significance of the Council, stating that it is not just another event but “the highest coordinating platform for shaping the direction of HIV/AIDS policy and programmes across Nigeria.”
The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat highlighted Lagos’ leadership in integrating HIV services into broader health frameworks, the establishment of the Lagos State HIV Trust Fund, and the ongoing review of the State’s Anti-Stigma Law as proof of action-oriented governance. “Sustainability is not a slogan; it is a strategic priority,” Sanwo-Olu stressed.
Governor Sanwo-Olu called on other states and the Federal Government to institutionalize quarterly inter-SACA review meetings, pass protective laws, and deepen collaboration across sectors. He reminded delegates that “behind every policy is a person and behind every funding decision is a moral obligation to protect lives and promote equity.”
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, affirmed Lagos’ determination to translate the Council’s resolutions into policy and operational change, especially under the new global aid landscape. “We need to take more ownership of HIV and make its management cheaper, accessible, and integrated,” he said.
Prof. Abayomi also stressed the importance of managing the HIV-TB syndemic and revealed that Lagos has domesticated the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act, with operational guidelines to move HIV care into a pooled funding mechanism through insurance.
He announced Lagos’ pharmaceutical industrial drive at the Lekki Free Trade Zone as a strategic effort to manufacture antiretroviral and diagnostic consumables locally. “We are building a domestic capacity and repository for cheaper HIV drugs,” he declared.
Earlier, the Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, lauded Lagos for its hospitality and governance model. She explained that the NCA remains the statutory policymaking and coordinating platform for Nigeria’s HIV response, especially now that donor funding is phasing out. “This year’s theme is a strategic imperative, reflecting the critical junction at which our national HIV response stands,” she said.
Dr. Ilori emphasized the need for increased domestic funding, stronger sub-national ownership, and multi-sectoral collaboration, including addressing the socio-economic determinants of HIV. “We must adapt, innovate and ensure the resolutions adopted here become our guiding light,” she charged.
Delivering goodwill remarks, Coordinator of Health Assistance for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Mrs. Jemeh Pius, commended the Council’s deliberations and swift documentation of outcomes. She reaffirmed the U.S. government’s continued partnership in sustaining HIV services in Nigeria.
Pius noted the transition of life-saving programs from USAID to the U.S. Department of State and emphasized the need for countries like Nigeria to plan for gradual reduction of foreign health assistance while sustaining program gains.
On his part, Dr. Murphy Akpu, representative of the United Nations Joint Team on HIV, praised the bold deliberations and progress made. “This is the time for Nigeria to figure out what government-led implementation looks like. We must be accountable for donor and domestic resources alike,” he stated.
He urged states, particularly Lagos, to lead the nation in demonstrating how to deliver impactful and accountable HIV programming within a government framework. “We have saved lives; now let us figure out how to sustain and own these wins,” he concluded.
In her closing remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of LSACA, Dr. Folakemi Animashaun, expressed gratitude to the Lagos State Government for providing strong leadership and to all stakeholders who contributed to the success of the Council.
“Let the resolutions adopted here today translate into policies that protect lives and systems that endure,” she said, urging delegates to leave with a shared sense of urgency and unity to end the HIV epidemic in Nigeria.
The 7th National Council on AIDS concluded with stakeholders recommitting to inclusive, domestically funded, and rights-based strategies to ensure that HIV is no longer a public health threat in Nigeria.