US commits $469m to 2017 HIV response
The American government under President Donald Trump has signed on to invest up to $469 million in Nigeria’s HIV response. That is expected to put an additional 269,000 people on antiretroviral treatment, estimates the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA). The funding is the Country Operational Plan for 2017, that comes through the U.S. […]
The American government under President Donald Trump has signed on to invest up to $469 million in Nigeria’s HIV response.
That is expected to put an additional 269,000 people on antiretroviral treatment, estimates the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA).
The funding is the Country Operational Plan for 2017, that comes through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), with approval from the US Congress.
It is also the first time on record the US will sign to investment in a focus country.
The funding will support HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs in the country, as well as a survey to determine the actual burden of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
The US global AIDS coordinator, ambassador-at-large, Deborah Birx, alongside US ambassador Stuart Symington and NACA director-general Sani Aliyu co-signed the document at the US embassy in Abuja.
“Right here, right now, in this effort, Nigerians working with the United States can change the course of Nigeria’s history for ever when it comes to health,” Symington said.
Birx said the US support for the COP was to represent the "depth and breadth of the Trump Administration’s commitment to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and to represent the depth and breadth of the commitment to Nigeria and to the Nigerian government’s ability to do something big at this moment in time.”
“I have been impressed with NACA ability to hit the ground running, to understand where we don’t have the depth of knowledge that we need to ensure that all Nigerians can thrive free of HIV,” Birx stated.
“I think Nigeria can go from some of the lowest numbers in all of west and central Africa to the leadership position that it should be in and really shining the light on how to control this pandemic and ensure all Nigerians can thrive," she added.
Aliyu said, “Remember that we have just about crossed the first million people on treatment, and most of it is driven by the U.S. government with more than 700,000 people on treatment."
He said the US commitment adds an extra 260,000 people on treatment.
"That means the U.S. government is keeping alive hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, hundreds of thousands who are currently looking after their families, putting bread on the table,” he stated.
Funding from PEPFAR has topped $4.3 billion to support HIV/AIDS response in Nigeria since 2004 when it started.