Nigeria has unveiled a new National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2026–2030, outlining a transition from donor-supported interventions to a domestically financed and government-led response to HIV/AIDS.

The plan, presented on Thursday in Abuja, comes amid declining external funding and growing calls for Nigeria to assume greater ownership of its health system, particularly in sustaining long-term HIV interventions.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, said Nigeria’s HIV response had reached a critical point that requires a strategic reset in line with emerging realities.

Ms Ilori said the country had recorded significant progress over the past two decades, including reductions in new infections and improved treatment access, but noted that changing global and financial conditions demanded a new approach.

She explained that the new strategic plan represents a recalibration rather than a replacement of the existing framework and aligns Nigeria’s response with emerging evidence and global priorities.

“This new Strategic Plan reflects lessons learned from implementation, new evidence from the National HIV Estimates and the need to reposition the response in a rapidly changing global environment,” she said.

Shift to domestic ownership

Ms Ilori said declining external funding and fragmented programme structures had made it necessary for Nigeria to adopt a government-led and government-owned response model.

According to her, the NSP prioritises the integration of HIV services into national systems across sectors, including health, education, youth development, gender and justice.

She added that the plan was developed through extensive consultations involving government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners, private sector actors and community networks.

“This Strategic Plan calls on all stakeholders to renew their commitment and work collectively to achieve a resilient, equitable, and sustainable HIV response for Nigeria,” she said.

Framework

Presenting the framework, NACA’s Deputy Director of Policy, Planning and Coordination, Mariam Ezekwe, said Nigeria’s HIV response had reached a decisive point, with notable achievements but persistent gaps that require structural reforms.

Ms Ezekwe said the country had made substantial gains in reducing infections and expanding access to treatment, but stressed that the next phase must focus on sustainability and stronger system integration.

She outlined the country’s current realities, describing a system that had made progress but still faced structural weaknesses in financing and service delivery.

“Fifty-two per cent reduction in new infections since 2010, and just about 80 per cent of People Living with HIV/AIDS know their status in 2025,” she said.

“These are the latest data from the Spectrum estimate. And currently we have an estimated 1,985,284 people living with HIV/AIDS.”

She added that the NSP prioritises legislative financing, health insurance expansion, and integration of HIV services into primary healthcare systems.

Private sector, faith groups seek deeper integration

During a panel discussion on domestic financing and sustainability, stakeholders called for stronger private sector participation, expanded insurance coverage and formal integration of faith-based organisations into the national response.

Representing the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCCA), Opeyemi Yekini said private sector actors should be treated as co-owners of the HIV response rather than mere contributors.

Mr Yekini noted that businesses increasingly recognise that workforce health directly affects productivity and economic stability.

Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), Tajudeen Ibrahim, said Nigeria’s transition strategy extends beyond enrolling people living with HIV into health insurance schemes and includes strengthening systems capable of sustaining HIV financing after donor support declines.

Mr Ibrahim said governments at different levels were already committing resources to HIV programmes, but weak tracking and reporting mechanisms made it difficult to determine the full extent and impact of domestic investments.

He said strengthening financial accountability and visibility would be essential to demonstrating country ownership and ensuring resources are used efficiently.

“There are several mechanisms that we are currently using to fund health, and these mechanisms need to be properly tracked. As part of Global Fund support to the country, we are investing in strengthening our public financial management system,” he said.

Emmanuel Okechukwu, co-chair of the Nigeria Interfaith Coalition on AIDS (NIFCOB-AIDS), also called for the formal integration of faith-based organisations into the national HIV response framework.

He said faith institutions had long played a central role in providing care and social support, particularly at the community level.

“The faith-based community is asking for integration, both in policy and programming. If you want to attain universal health coverage, you must go to the people who are in the grassroots to provide the healthcare communities require,” he said.

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System integration by 2030

The NSP 2026–2030 outlines a long-term goal of eliminating parallel HIV programmes and embedding interventions within routine government systems.

NACA said implementation of the plan would increasingly rely on domestic financing, strengthened health insurance systems, digital health expansion and coordinated multisectoral accountability mechanisms.

By 2030, Nigeria aims to sustain HIV control through integrated systems fully owned and financed at national and subnational levels.

The Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Usman Aliyu, has said the private sector remains critical to strengthening healthcare systems and reducing Nigeria’s cancer burden.

Mr Aliyu stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at a two-day Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building Programme organised by Innova Healthcare Nigeria Ltd., themed “Innova Healthcare Nigeria – Bringing the Total Oncology Solution.”

He said meaningful progress in cancer control requires strategic partnerships, innovation, and sustained investment across the cancer care continuum, adding that collaboration is essential to improving access to quality treatment nationwide.

The NICRAT boss described the engagement as a critical intervention for advancing cancer control in Nigeria, noting that emerging technologies continue to reshape diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare delivery systems.

“Today’s activities give an insight into what Innova is doing. Indirectly, it is a kind of human resource development and assistance to the country in strengthening the operational capability of doctors,” he said.

Mr Aliyu said public-private partnerships (PPP) were already improving radiotherapy services, adding that many operational cancer centres in the country currently function through collaborative arrangements.

According to him, nearly half of the radiotherapy centres providing cancer treatment in Nigeria operate under PPP models, underscoring the growing role of the private sector in oncology care.

He said NICRAT, through the Nigeria Cancer Access Partnership (NCAP) and the National Cancer Health Fund (NCHF), had supported more than 10,000 Nigerians with treatment, diagnostics and essential medicines.

Mr Aliyu added that more than 2,000 healthcare professionals had been trained across disciplines, while telemedicine services and access to radiotherapy were being expanded through investments in infrastructure and workforce development.

He further said that NICRAT was preparing to inaugurate Nigeria’s first National Cancer Burden Report, which will provide comprehensive data on the country’s cancer landscape and emerging disease trends.

According to him, the report would guide policy formulation, resource allocation, programme implementation and investment decisions aimed at accelerating national efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer effectively.

Partnerships

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said partnerships remained central to achieving Nigeria’s cancer control targets and improving access to care.

Represented by Uche Nwokwu, National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme, Mr Salako said that government efforts alone would not be sufficient to meet the growing demand for cancer care.

“We also rely on collaborations with our partners to improve access to cancer care in Nigeria,” he said.

Mr Salako said the National Cancer Control Plan aimed to reduce Nigeria’s cancer burden by 50 per cent by 2030 through improved screening, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship interventions nationwide.

He added that the Cancer Access Partnership Programme currently provides subsidised anti-cancer medicines at more than 24 hospitals across the country, helping improve affordability and treatment access.

“The problem is not just treatment. Some patients struggle with transportation, accommodation and feeding costs, which significantly increase the burden of care.”

Wong Kai Tan, Business Development Director of Innova Healthcare Nigeria Ltd., said the company remained committed to improving treatment outcomes and addressing critical gaps in oncology services.

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Mr Tan said Nigeria continued to face shortages in radiotherapy equipment and specialised personnel, including radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiation therapists needed for effective cancer treatment delivery.

“We are here to bridge the two countries together, to bridge the two worlds together, to make sure we are able to deliver care much better.”

He said Innova was exploring partnerships to promote technology transfer, knowledge exchange, and workforce development between Nigeria and Singapore to strengthen oncology service delivery.

Mr Tan added that the company intended to provide end-to-end oncology solutions, including infrastructure development, equipment installation and professional training for healthcare workers across Nigeria.

The company’s Chief Financial Officer, Ikenna Njoku, said the initiative would help reduce medical tourism and make cancer treatment more affordable nationwide for Nigerians.

“What Innova has started is something that has been bothering Nigerians over the years.

“Medical tourism is going to reduce drastically and bring treatment costs to a level many Nigerians can afford,” he added.

Also speaking, Chinedu Aruah, Senior Consultant Radiation and Clinical Oncologist at the National Hospital Abuja, said efforts to strengthen oncology workforce capacity would improve cancer care delivery.

“A lot of people are willing to work, but incentives elsewhere are often better. As the government improves the status of the workforce, things are going to take better shape.”

Mr Aruah described the engagement as a positive development that would improve access to radiotherapy services and help reduce treatment delays for cancer patients nationwide. (NAN)