The Global Fund’s Grant Cycle 7 has awarded Nigeria a $933 million grant to fight malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis between 2024 and 2026. Of this total, $340,095,438 is set aside especially for HIV programs, and $10,663,394 is given to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to manage the multisectoral response to HIV. This was disclosed by NACA on Friday in a press release that was signed by Toyin Aderibigbe, the organization’s head of protocol and public relations. The announcement described a four-day retreat to kick off the GC7 funding for the recently established Project Monitoring Unit. The objectives of this retreat were to introduce new team members to their responsibilities, consider previous accomplishments, pinpoint areas in need of development, and plan for the future.
In her welcome remarks, Dr. Temitope Ilori, the Director General of NACA, emphasized the significant accomplishments of the GC6 grant, such as training healthcare personnel, equipping laboratories, and engaging communities meaningfully. She encouraged participants to build on these successes to tackle HIV challenges more effectively.
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Dr Ilori stated, “While we celebrate these remarkable achievements, we must ask ourselves to improve upon our past efforts by being efficient and intentional in sustainably addressing the public health challenges of HIV through reliable data for effective decision-making.”
The notable activities under the GC7 grant include:
- Scaling up HIV and TB Gender and Human Rights interventions at national and sub-national levels.
- Developing strategic plans for all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, leveraging the HIV National Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
- Implementing medically assisted treatment for people who inject drugs using methadone or buprenorphine.
- Improving HIV coordination at sub-national levels through direct support to State Agencies for the Control of AIDS.
- Conducting the HIV Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey 2024.
Dr. Ilori outlined her ideas for a domestically led HIV response that seeks to effectively, efficiently, and sustainably eradicate AIDS and its related conditions as dangers to public health. With the ultimate goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, she called on everyone to join the journey towards this shared goal, highlighting the significance of eradicating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, fortifying the health response to be more resilient and sustainable, and guaranteeing readiness to respond to any public health emergency.
She concluded, “I urge you to reflect on how our work can ensure that we eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in collaboration with the National HIV, Hepatitis, and STI Control Programme and contribute meaningfully to the sector-wide approach of the Ministry of Health.”
Millions of Nigerians find optimism in the Global Fund grant. This investment has the potential to drastically change Nigeria’s public health environment and move the country closer to a day when HIV, TB, and malaria are eradicated.
