By Huldah Shado
The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), has warned that Nigeria’s progress in combating HIV could be reversed without immediate and sustained domestic investment.
In a statement posted on its official X handle on Tuesday, NACA stressed that overreliance on international donors is no longer sustainable.
It said the future of the HIV response depends on strong government commitment, with transparent budget allocations marking true ownership.
The warning comes amid sharp cuts in global health funding, including reductions from PEPFAR and USAID.
In 2023 alone, Nigeria received over $600 million in disease control support from USAID, but frozen funds now jeopardize essential services, from testing to treatment.
To bridge the gap, the Nigerian government has approved ₦4.8 billion for the procurement of 150,000 HIV treatment packs and included a $200 million allocation in the 2025 federal budget.
While NACA welcomed these developments, it insisted that long-term sustainability requires more than emergency measures.
The agency called for deliberate investments in local systems to safeguard gains made in the HIV response.
In a positive development, Codix Bio Ltd, a Nigerian firm, will begin local production of HIV and malaria test kits near Lagos.
Backed by the World Health Organization and in partnership with a South Korean company, the facility aims to produce 147 million kits annually.
