From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has raised concerns that HIV/AIDS response in Nigeria, particularly the diagnosis and treatment of over 1.08 million Nigerians living with the disease, may suffer serious setback as a result of over-reliance on foreign donors who, often, provides the majority of funding for diagnosis, treatment and other responses against HIV/AIDS.

The Agency expressed fear that the donors may withdraw their funds at any time, and that could be disastrous for Nigeria, hence the quest for local mobilisation of funds to sustain HIV response in Nigeria.

NACA, in its 2020 quarterly HIV factsheet revealed between 2005 and 2018, a total of US$ 6.2 billion was spent on the HIV response in Nigeria, and over 81 per cent of the funds came from international donors, while public funds accounted for 18 per cent and private funds provided an additional one per cent.

The Director-General of NACA, Dr Gambo Aliyu, who disclosed the information at a launch of a five-year document on the National Domestic Resources and Sustainability Strategy (2021-2025) in Abuja, on Wednesday, stressed the need to bridge the local funding gap, in which otherwise could be disastrous for Nigeria as regards HIV response.

He insisted that the sustainability of the HIV response requires mobilising resources locally in order to reduce over-dependence on external funding, and also explore other innovative sources of funding to ensure that coordination, data governance, social protection and community support are adequately covered.

‘A key focus to foster resource sustainability and strengthen public financing of HIV at the sub-national/state level is the recommendation for states to take charge of, at least, 20 per cent of treatment of people living with HIV in their states and to provide HIV test kits,’ he said.

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‘It’s essential that national and state stakeholders assume greater ownership of the HIV response, including its financing. Strong accountability structures, along with a multi-sectoral HIV response, are required to monitor the utilisation of funds and ensure they are spent on activities that will continue to have a real impact on people living with HIV.

‘This strategy reflects the need for Nigeria to expand its resource base and increase domestic resources while diversifying its sources to ensure sustainable resource availability for the implementation of NACA’s programmes and thus, meet the 90-90-90 targets in the interim and the 95-95-95 targets by 2025.’

Dr Gambo appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, for his continued support to the HIV response in Nigeria, particularly with his recent approval for annual financing of 50,000 additional people on treatment.

In a presentation, the Deputy Director, Resource Mobilisation Department, NACA, Ope Abegunde, highlighted five strategic pillars for mobilising domestic funding for HIV/AIDS which included; public sector mainstreaming, non-public sector financing sources, increasing efficiency and effectiveness of the HIV response, local manufacture of HIV commodities including test kits and ARVs, and improvement of the governance of HIV response at all levels.

She explained that a total of 12 strategies was embedded in the five pillars to enable NACA and its partners to mobilise enough resources to implement HIV National Strategic Framework 2021 to 2025.

‘The strategy will ensure increased public sector budgetary allocation and execution for HIV response; include HIV services in the benefits package of Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and National Health Insurance Scheme; strengthen private sector participation in HIV financing, as well as mobilise resources for HIV programmes through diaspora bond,’ she said.

The document will also ensure the strengthening of philanthropies and social responsibilities, expand private health insurance coverage for HIV/AIDS, promote financial transparency and accountability, value for money, and ensure in-country manufacturing of ARV drugs and test kits, among others.