Nigeria is intensifying efforts to strengthen domestic financing for its HIV response as declining international donor support threatens decades of progress in HIV prevention, treatment and care.

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, made this known on Wednesday at the Nigeria side event during the 26th International AIDS Conference (IAS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Speaking on the theme, “Sustainability: Strengthening Resource Mobilisation for the National HIV Response in Nigeria,” Ms Ilori said the country must transition to a more resilient and self-reliant HIV programme capable of withstanding changing global economic realities.

Ms Ilori said Nigeria has recorded significant progress in tackling HIV over the past two decades through partnerships involving the federal government, development partners, civil society organisations, communities of people living with HIV and the private sector.

However, she warned that changing global economic realities and declining development assistance require the country to rethink how it finances its HIV programme.

“The future of the HIV response depends not only on scientific breakthroughs and effective interventions but also on our collective ability to build resilient, sustainable financing systems that can withstand evolving global economic realities,” she said.

She said sustainability extends beyond replacing donor funding with domestic resources.

According to her, it also requires stronger institutions, improved governance, greater efficiency, innovation and expanded partnerships to ensure available resources deliver maximum impact.

Funding pressures

Ms Ilori’s remarks come as global HIV financing faces increasing pressure.

A recent report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) showed that international donor funding for HIV programmes fell by 25 per cent in 2025, the largest single-year decline since global HIV financing began expanding.

The report attributed the drop largely to reductions in financial support from the United States, stemming from funding delays and the cancellation of several international health programmes.

The funding cuts have disrupted HIV services across several African countries, prompting governments to explore emergency funding measures and longer-term domestic financing options.

In Nigeria, PREMIUM TIMES has reported that reductions in donor support disrupted community-based HIV treatment and support programmes, raising concerns about continuity of care for people living with HIV.

To address the challenge, the federal government launched the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2026–2030 in June, which seeks to transition the country’s HIV response from donor dependence to greater domestic financing and national ownership.

Turning lessons into action

As part of efforts to strengthen the national response, Ms Ilori announced that NACA would convene a post-IAS stakeholders’ engagement after the conference.

She said the meeting would review key scientific advances, policy directions and best practices emerging from IAS 2026 and adapt them to Nigeria’s HIV programme.

“We are here not merely to discuss challenges but to identify actionable solutions and forge stronger partnerships that will shape the future of Nigeria’s HIV response,” she said.

Nigeria-Brazil partnership

Also speaking, Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires to Brazil, Basil Okolo, said the renewed strategic partnership between Nigeria and Brazil presents opportunities to deepen cooperation in the health sector.

READ ALSO: Global HIV funding suffers biggest decline in decades as US cuts threaten progress, UNAIDS warns

He said recent bilateral engagements between the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to expanding collaboration through knowledge exchange, local manufacturing of health commodities, research, regulatory strengthening, and health systems innovation.

Mr Okolo said stronger partnerships among governments, development partners, academia, civil society, communities and the private sector would be critical to achieving sustainable health outcomes.

He thanked Nigeria’s partners for their continued support of the country’s HIV response and called for continued collaboration.

He may have missed out on a medal, but Abduljabar Adama achieved something that could prove even more significant for Nigerian swimming.

The 18-year-old sensation became the first Nigerian swimmer to compete in a Commonwealth Games men’s 50m Butterfly final, finishing an impressive fifth in a world-class field at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Read Also: “History Is Being Made in Glasgow, and Nigeria Must Build on This Momentum” — SSA Adeboye

Adama stopped the clock at 23.42 seconds, holding his own against some of the biggest names in international swimming.

Australia dominated the race as Kyle Chalmers and Ben Armbruster shared the gold medal after both clocked a Games Record-equalling 22.73 seconds, while fellow Australian Cameron McEvoy claimed bronze in 22.92 seconds. Canada’s Joshua Liendo finished fourth ahead of the Nigerian, with England’s Jacob Peters, South Africa’s Calvyn Justus and Scotland’s Dean Fearn completing the finalists.

For Nigeria, however, the biggest victory was Adama’s presence in the final itself.

No Nigerian man had ever reached the final of the Commonwealth Games 50m Butterfly before now, making the teenager’s achievement another landmark moment in the country’s sporting history.

It is the latest chapter in the rapid rise of one of Africa’s brightest swimming talents.

Adama first grabbed global attention in 2025, when he became the first Nigerian swimmer ever to win a medal at a World Aquatics Championship, claiming silver in the Men’s 50m Butterfly at the World Aquatics Junior Championships in Otopeni, Romania. During that unforgettable championship, he broke the Nigerian record twice in one day, lowering the national mark in both the heats and semi-finals before securing his historic silver medal. His achievement sent shockwaves through Nigerian swimming and established him as one of the sport’s most exciting young prospects.

The youngster, who trains at the Mount Kelly Swimming Academy in the United Kingdom, has continued to improve with every major competition and is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s brightest hopes for future global championships and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where the 50m Butterfly will make its Olympic debut.

His run to the Glasgow final was equally impressive. Adama progressed confidently through the heats before producing another outstanding performance in the semi-finals to become the first Nigerian to book a place in the championship race.

Although he narrowly missed the podium, his fifth-place finish represents one of the finest performances ever by a Nigerian swimmer at the Commonwealth Games and reinforces the country’s growing reputation in a sport long dominated by traditional powerhouses such as Australia, Canada and England.

For Team Nigeria, Adama’s achievement is another reminder that Glasgow 2026 has become a Games of historic breakthroughs.

From Goodness Nwachukwu’s world record in para athletics, to Kayinsola Ajayi’s first Nigerian men’s 100m medal in 20 years, Temitope Adeshina’s historic high jump bronze, and the weightlifting heroes rewriting Commonwealth Games records, Nigeria has continued to produce performances that are changing perceptions on the international stage.

Abduljabar Adama may return home without a medal around his neck, but he leaves Glasgow with something equally valuable—a place in Nigerian sporting history.

At just 18 years old, his journey is only beginning. If his remarkable rise over the past two years is any indication, the best is yet to come for the young swimmer who has already dared to take Nigerian swimming where it has never been before.