The federal government says Nigeria has made significant progress over the past two decades in reducing the burden of HIV/AIDS among adults and children, reaffirming its commitment to eliminating AIDS in kids by 2030.

Adebobola Bashorun, national coordinator of the National AIDS and STDs Control Programme (NASCP), made the pledge on Monday in Abuja during a stakeholders’ workshop on the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children.

Mr Bashorun attributed the progress to the support of global partners such as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund, and others.

“The difficult part of the race has been completed, and we have scaled up. We are not where we were 20 years ago.

“Now, we are closer to ending the epidemic, sustaining treatment, reducing new infections, and ensuring that everyone who needs treatment receives it,” he said.

He added that Nigeria was nearing 90 per cent treatment coverage for adults and was now focusing on achieving similar coverage for children.

To support this effort, Mr Bashorun revealed that the federal government had approved $200 million for the health sector to bridge the gap left by the suspension of USAID funding.

He also noted ongoing investments in logistics, human resources, and healthcare infrastructure, while emphasising the need to revise implementation strategies for efficiency.

“We now want models that can deliver more services with fewer resources. With the unlocking of the healthcare value chain, we can now quantify local content and enhance our approach,” Mr Bashorun noted.

Mr Bashorun also pointed out that Nigeria now has a robust national data reporting system, a major shift from the past reliance on external implementing partners.

Also speaking, Modupe Elendu, the Prevention-of-Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) focal person at UNICEF, outlined the four pillars of the Global Alliance, which comprised 12 countries working to end AIDS in children.

“These pillars include ensuring no child with HIV is left behind, preventing mother-to-child transmission, universal testing for all pregnant women, strengthening PMTCT programmes, and addressing barriers to effective implementation,” she stated.

Ms Elendu noted that although challenges remained, progress was evident.

“We now have comprehensive data systems covering the entire country, a big step up from past dependency on external data sources,” she said.

The workshop aims to review the implementation of the Global Alliance Plan, identify service delivery gaps for children and adolescents, and gather stakeholder input for global reporting.

Launched in Aug. 2022, the Global Alliance works to close critical gaps in HIV services for children and adolescents.

(NAN)