Nigeria on Monday joined the global community to commemorate World AIDS Day 2025, with renewed calls for stronger commitment toward ending HIV/AIDS by 2030, even as the country records some of its most significant public-health gains in recent years.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in a message on her X handle, urged Nigerians to “revamp efforts” toward eliminating AIDS within the next five years. She emphasised that despite clear progress in prevention, treatment and care, the country must sustain momentum to meet the global target.
“Every Nigerian deserves access to life-saving services, free from stigma and discrimination,” she said. She encouraged young people to know their HIV status and seek treatment if positive, while charging communities to show compassion and reject stigmatisation.
This year’s national theme, “Overcoming Disruption: Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response,” reflects ongoing efforts to maintain gains despite financial constraints, donor transitions and broader public-health challenges.
According to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Nigeria has now achieved two of the global 95-95-95 targets. Current figures stand at: 87% of people living with HIV know their status; 98% of those diagnosed receive sustained treatment; 95% of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression.
With over 1.9 million Nigerians currently on antiretroviral therapy — one of the largest treatment cohorts worldwide — the country continues to make strides toward epidemic control.
Key contributors to this progress include: Transition to dolutegravir-based regimens with stronger viral suppression; Multi-month dispensing, allowing stable patients to access 3–6 months of medication at once; Improved Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services, helping significantly reduce infant infections; Expansion of community-led testing, One-Stop Shops and Drop-in Centres; and Nationwide modernisation of HIV data systems, including the National Data Repository and real-time dashboards
Read also:
- Moderna Launches Clinical Trial for HIV Vaccine
- OPINION: Buhari and his Obsession for Grazing Routes, By Adeze Ojukwu
- Exclusive Breastfeeding: Enugu govt stresses importance of ‘first immunisation’ to new born babies
Despite national gains, global agencies warn that the fight is far from over. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) projects that 1.8 million children could die of AIDS-related causes by 2040 if countries fail to scale up testing and treatment for mothers, infants and adolescents. UNICEF also reported that 150,000 adolescents acquired HIV in 2024, with girls in sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately affected.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) added that the global HIV response “is at a crossroads,” citing: 40.8 million people living with HIV in 2024; 1.3 million new infections; 630,000 AIDS-related deaths
WHO stressed the need for bolder political will, stronger financing and rights-based approaches to protect vulnerable groups.
In the Federal Capital Territory, the FCTA announced plans for an open, participatory World AIDS Day symposium aimed at deepening community engagement in the territory’s HIV response.
The one-day high-level event scheduled for December 2 will bring together policymakers, development partners, civil society groups and people living with HIV to review progress and highlight priority areas requiring urgent attention.
The FCTA also outlined activities such as free counselling and testing, awareness campaigns and community outreach programmes to improve early diagnosis and ensure linkage to care.
The Nigerian government says it remains committed to sustaining the response, with recent announcements showing an injection of $200 million into HIV programmes. Public-health experts, however, warn that funding gaps, insecurity, economic hardship, and persistent stigma continue to threaten progress.
Ending AIDS by 2030, they stress, will require: Increased domestic financing; Rapid scale-up of PMTCT services; Integration of HIV testing and treatment into primary healthcare; Investment in local pharmaceutical manufacturing and Stronger community-led accountability and stigma-reduction efforts.
Across Nigeria, the day serves as a reminder that progress is possible — but only through collective action.
