THE Federal Government of Nigeria has welcomed the decision by the United States to exempt HIV treatment programmes from its recently announced 90-day freeze on foreign aid spending.
The waiver, announced by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on Wednesday, January 29, would ensure the continued distribution of lifesaving HIV medications, providing relief for millions of Nigerians and other people around the world who rely on donor-funded treatment.
The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has been a lifeline for millions of people living with HIV, providing access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART), with the medications not only keeping the virus in check but also preventing further transmission.
The project, launched in 2003 under former President George W. Bush, has reportedly provided antiretroviral therapy (ART) for over 20.6 million people worldwide. Its interventions also help to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and have saved an estimated 26 million lives.
Meanwhile, reacting to the latest development, the Director-general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, lauded the U.S. on the waiver while acknowledging the uncertainties surrounding foreign aid under the new administration.
According to her, the government has pledged to strengthen local funding mechanisms and work towards a sustainable HIV response that is less vulnerable to shifts in foreign aid policies.
She noted key strategies to include enhanced stakeholder collaboration, policy reforms, and increased investment from both the public and private sectors.
“Last week, the Trump administration issued an executive order halting foreign aid for 90 days. However, on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, the administration issued a waiver for lifesaving medicines and medical services, offering a reprieve for a worldwide HIV treatment programme. This waiver allows for the continuous distribution of HIV medications.
“The Nigerian government appreciates the U.S. government waiver and is mindful of the potential change to foreign aid in the near future under the new administration. The Nigerian government would intensify domestic resource mobilisation strategies towards ownership and sustainability of the HIV response in the country with a view to reducing the risks of donor aid policy shifts to the HIV response while ensuring that the country’s strategic goals and targets in the fight against HIV are achieved.
“Through effective stakeholder collaboration, creating favourable policies and enabling environment and advocacy to policy makers, Nigeria can still achieve the target of ending AIDS by 2030,” Ilori said.
She further encouraged persons living with HIV to continue accessing treatment services across the country, as she assured that PEPFAR-supported programmes remained operational.
“We encourage the patient community to continue accessing HIV treatment services in service delivery points across the country and appeal to all our state governors, private sector partners, all the honourable members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, civil society organisations, the media and all other relevant stakeholders, to continue in their commitment and support to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria,” the statement added. ICIR