Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory Administration has warned that the country risks losing momentum in the fight against HIV/AIDS unless awareness and services are extended to rural communities. Stigma, insecurity and poor access to healthcare continue to hinder progress in these areas.
At the 2025 World AIDS Day commemoration in Abuja, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Adedolapo Fasawe, emphasized the need to take the campaign to rural areas. “The people who need the message more are in the communities. We can’t succeed in sustaining the campaign against AIDS without going closer to the rural areas,” she said. The 2025 theme, “Overcoming Disruptions: Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response,” highlights the urgent need for domestic resource mobilization as donor funding continues to decline. Fasawe identified insecurity, inaccessible settlements and lingering stigma as major barriers that the government is determined to address, and assured that it is committed to ensuring access, affordability and availability of treatment to improve success rates.
Tangkat Hosle, FCT Regional Manager of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, supported the administration’s stance, stating that strengthening local ownership and sustaining innovation are essential to ending AIDS as a public‑health threat by 2030. While progress has been made in transforming HIV into a manageable chronic condition, Hosle noted that the poor, women and children remain disproportionately affected.
The FCT Department of Public Health has reinforced its community structures through a First‑Class Committee that interfaces directly with area councils. The administration has also educated people about HIV, including the availability of free treatment and preventive services. Community mobilizers, civil‑society groups and PLHIV support networks are driving service uptake across all six area councils.
With external funding declining, the FCT is turning to domestic financing and integrating programs such as malaria and tuberculosis to minimise costs and ensure wider access. The administration is also exploring global innovations, including long‑acting injectable drugs that provide monthly HIV prevention.
Nigeria carries one of the world’s largest HIV burdens, with an estimated 1.7‑to‑1.9 million people living with the disease. Although treatment expansion has improved outcomes, challenges persist, including shrinking donor funding, insecurity, stigma and hard‑to‑reach communities. The FCT Administration has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening partnerships and driving innovations to protect communities from disruptions in HIV care.
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