Nigeria has called for stronger domestic funding and broader partnerships to sustain its HIV response as declining global donor support and increasing financial pressures threaten long-term progress against the epidemic.
The call was made by the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Temitope Ilori, at the Nigeria Event during the 26th International AIDS Conference (IAS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she urged stakeholders to strengthen resource mobilisation and accelerate the country’s transition towards a more self-reliant and sustainable HIV programme.
Ilori said this year’s IAS theme, “Rethink. Rebuild. Rise,” aligns with Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen its HIV response by building resilient systems capable of withstanding changing global realities.
According to her, the theme of the Nigeria event, “Sustainability: Strengthening Resource Mobilisation for the National HIV Response in Nigeria,” reflects the urgent need to secure long-term financing for HIV programmes.
“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.
Ilori noted that Nigeria had recorded significant progress in tackling HIV over the past two decades through the support of the Federal Government, multilateral and bilateral partners, civil society organisations, communities of people living with HIV, and the private sector.
She said the partnerships had enabled the country to expand HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services, leading to improved health outcomes for millions of Nigerians.
However, she warned that shrinking development assistance and competing national and global priorities now require the country to rethink its financing model.
“The global financing landscape is changing. Development assistance is becoming increasingly constrained while competing national and global priorities continue to place pressure on available resources. This changing environment presents both a challenge and an opportunity. It calls on us to reimagine how we finance the HIV response and accelerate our transition toward greater domestic ownership and sustainability,” Ilori said.
She stressed that sustainability should not be viewed merely as replacing donor funding.
“Sustainability is not simply about replacing donor funding. It is about building stronger institutions, strengthening governance, improving efficiency, leveraging innovation, expanding partnerships and ensuring that every available resource delivers maximum impact,” she added.
The NACA boss said the conference provided an opportunity for stakeholders to deepen collaboration, identify practical financing solutions, and forge stronger partnerships capable of securing the future of Nigeria’s HIV response.
She also disclosed that NACA would convene a Post-IAS Stakeholders’ Engagement Meeting after the conference to review key lessons, scientific innovations, policy directions and best practices from IAS 2026 and translate them into practical actions for Nigeria.
Also speaking, Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires to Brazil, Ambassador Basil M. Okolo, said the conference was taking place at a significant moment as Nigeria and Brazil deepen their strategic partnership.
He said recent high-level bilateral engagements between both countries had reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation across critical sectors, including health.
“It is particularly significant that this gathering takes place at a time when Nigeria and Brazil have entered a renewed phase of strategic partnership. The recent high-level bilateral engagements between our two countries have reaffirmed our shared commitment to expanding cooperation across critical sectors,” Okolo said.
According to him, the renewed partnership demonstrates the confidence both countries have in South-South cooperation as a driver of sustainable development and improved health outcomes.
He said health had emerged as a strategic pillar of the bilateral relationship, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, local manufacturing of health commodities, research collaboration, regulatory strengthening and health systems innovation.
“We are encouraged that health has been identified as a strategic pillar of this renewed cooperation, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, local manufacturing of health commodities, research collaboration, regulatory strengthening and health systems innovation,” he said.
Okolo emphasised that governments alone could not achieve these objectives, calling for stronger collaboration among development partners, academia, civil society organisations, communities, and the private sector.
“We recognise that no country can achieve these ambitions in isolation. Success will depend on stronger partnerships among governments, development partners, academia, civil society, communities and the private sector,” he said.
He thanked Nigeria’s development partners for their continued support and expressed optimism that the conference would strengthen collaboration and advance sustainable solutions for the HIV response in Nigeria.