The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has pledged to intensify domestic resource mobilisation strategies to ensure ownership and sustainability of the country’s HIV/AIDS response.
The Director General of the agency, Temitope Ilori, made this known in a statement on Thursday.
Ms Ilori, a doctor, said the move became necessary following the executive order by President Donald Trump to reevaluate and realign United States’ foreign aid which includes a 90-day pause on foreign development assistance.
She said the development has raised significant concerns among stakeholders with regards to HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) technical support and funding.
One of Mr Trump’s recent executive orders temporarily halted many overseas assistance programmes, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
PEPFAR, which operates with an annual budget of $6.5 billion, has been instrumental in delivering HIV/AIDS treatment to over 20.6 million individuals in low-income countries.
In Nigeria, PEPFAR remains a major contributor to the treatment of People Living with HIV (PLHIV), covering approximately 90 per cent of the country’s treatment needs.
Over the years, PEPFAR has contributed over $6 billion to support Nigeria’s national HIV/AIDS response.
Although, a waiver by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has permitted PEPFAR to continue providing life-saving HIV medications to low-income countries, there are still concerns about the long-term stability of such funding.
Ms Ilori said over the past two decades, partners in the global AIDS response have intensively supported Nigeria to scale-up prevention, treatment, care, and support for those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
She noted that the US government through PEPFAR has immensely supported Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response, particularly in sustaining the treatment of PLHIV.
