President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday launched the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria (HTFN) to ensure sustainable mobilisation of domestic resources from the private sector towards the eradication of AIDS in Nigeria.
The efforts are starting with the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the HIV virus.
The HTFN, which is a private sector-led fund proposed by National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) alongside the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA), is expected to attract N62 billion financial commitments from the private sector for the next five years.
It will also ensure that the funding gap for HIV in Nigeria is closed.
Speaking at the launching of the HTFN at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Buhari said: “This administration has continued to prioritise health interventions to eliminate killer diseases and healthcare emergencies. Ending the AIDS threat in Nigeria will require increased domestic funding. We will continue to make good our commitment to place more people living with HIV on treatment annually, using national resources.
“However, strong domestic resources mobilisation with enduring partnership will ensure that this facility is sustained in response to HIV and other emerging public health emergencies.
“Going forward, I hope the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria will galvanise more of the private sector and other partners to to surpass the target of N62 billion in the next five years.”
The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Gambo Aliyu, said: “It is, therefore, heartwarming to note that within the last three years, we have identified and placed on treatment an additional 900,000 persons living with HIV, bringing the total number of Nigerians on HIV treatment to 1.7 million. This unprecedented feat puts Nigeria on a fast-track lane to control HIV spread by 2023.
“However, despite these achievements, our national coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission is less than 50 per cent, leading to about 22,000 cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV every year in the country.
“Furthermore, providing life-long treatment to all PLHIV even after successfully stopping new HIV infections would require a domestically sustainable financing mechanism.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, announced that since 2005, about $6.2 billion had been spent on HIV response in Nigeria.
The chief launcher and Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, appealed to individuals and corporate organisations in the country to donate generously towards the fund, currently chaired by Dr. Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc.
“I am reminded that we have 2 million of our compatriots living with HIV/AIDS and it is our collective responsibility to bring this number down to zero,” he said.