The federal and state governments have reiterated their commitment to the HIV sustainability agenda and response programmes to end the epidemic in the country effectively.

They made the commitment at the national-state engagement meeting on Monday night in Abuja.

Temitope Ilori, the director-general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, stressed the need to deconstruct and redefine what the HIV programme sustainability meant.

Mr Ilori said, “Let me begin by emphasising that there is no way we can solve the HIV problem at the national level in the states, the local government and our individual wards.

“Nigeria cannot solve the HIV epidemic alone at the national level. We all have our roles and responsibilities in this sustainability plan; our sub-national stakeholders are critical to this plan, and the epidemic is far from over.

“We must do things differently, hence, the New Business Model of doing things if we must move forward,” she said.

She noted that over the last two decades, the HIV response in Nigeria had been largely donor-dependent, which had made government-mandated structures less visible and disengaged from the programme.

“There is a need to do things differently. To sustain the response, we must ensure that the government at all levels are fully engaged in the response for our people. For instance, there is absolutely no reason why any child should be born HIV positive under our watch.

“We have the technology and the resources; all we need is the shared will to end vertical transmission between mothers and their children. I look up to you all to ensure this happens,” she said.

Leo Zekeng, the UNAIDS country director, noted the remarkable progress made regarding HIV response in the country and globally.

Mr Zekeng, however, stressed the need for country ownership to HIV response.

Alabi Babajide, executive secretary of Kwara State AIDS Control Agency and the secretary of chief executives of the State AIDS Control Agency Forum, emphasised the need to develop an HIV sustainability plan.

(NAN)