The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Temitope Ilori, has announced plans to commence domestic production of HIV commodities, including test kits and anti-retroviral drugs, before the end of 2025.
Dr. Ilori made this disclosure on Friday in Ilorin while inaugurating the Kwara Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Paediatrics ART Acceleration Committee. She emphasized that local production is part of the government’s strategy to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Other key measures, she noted, include enrolling all individuals in the National Health Insurance Scheme, mobilizing resources for states, strengthening advocacy efforts, and supporting vaccine research and innovation.
Dr. Ilori highlighted the urgent need to accelerate efforts toward an AIDS-free generation, citing alarming statistics from the 2023 UNAIDS report: Approximately 140,000 children aged 0-14 in Nigeria are living with HIV, 22,000 new pediatric infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths occur annually, and PMTCT and pediatric HIV coverage remains below 33%, far from the 95% target.
Despite financial support from the Global Alliance Action Plan to End AIDS in Children, progress has been slow, necessitating strategic interventions.
In Kwara State, the HIV prevalence rate stands at 0.8%, below the national average of 1.4%. However, disparities persist, with women (1.3%) disproportionately affected compared to men (0.4%). Dr. Ilori stressed the need for targeted interventions in some local government areas to further reduce prevalence rates.
Dr. Ilori also raised concerns over Nigeria’s continued reliance on donor support, referencing the recent 90-day foreign aid suspension, which, although exempting HIV services, underscores the need for government-led sustainability efforts.
She outlined several government-driven strategies, including: Integrating HIV services into the national health system, strengthening government-mandated structures, ensuring the timely release of state and local government funds for HIV programs, developing sustainable non-health components of the HIV response, and empowering civil society organizations to serve as advocates and community service providers.
She further noted that the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, had established a National Acceleration Committee, which is now being replicated at the state level to eliminate mother-to-child transmission and enhance real-time program monitoring.
The Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Kayode Alabi, who also serves as the Chairman of the Kwara State AIDS Control Agency, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to supporting the committee in achieving its mandate.
“With this committee in place, mother-to-child transmission of HIV will become a thing of the past in Kwara State,” he assured.
