The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (AIDS) has said that the private sector led N62.1 billion (USD$150 million) HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria (HTFN) is set for launch.
Dr. Gambo Aliyu, Director-General, NACA, who disclosed this said the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria will improve the efforts in ensuring coverage of high-IMPACT HIV interventions that will provide the requisite treatment for HIV infected mothers, while contributing to closing the funding gap for HIV in the country that currently stands at about USD108 million per annum.
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The Trust Fund’s managing director and chief executive officer, Dr. Jekwu Ozoemene, noted that by deploying private sector competencies and capital market tools, the HTFN is key to helping Nigeria achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 strategy of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030; achieving 95 per cent diagnosed among all people living with HIV (PLHIV), 95 per cent on antiretroviral therapy (ART) among diagnosed, and 95 per cent virally suppressed (VS) among treated.
According to Ozoemene, the trust fund will improve maternal health and reduce child mortality especially in the rural and suburban communities in Nigeria through programmes focused on awareness creation on PMTCT, HIV prevention education for women who are in their reproductive age, and the provision of testing services and antiretrovirals for HIV positive pregnant and infected babies.
The Fund is currently chaired by Dr. Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank. Other Board of Trustee members include; Mr. Mike Sangster, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Dangote Foundation and President of the Dangote Group, among others.
HTFN is a sustainable financing mechanism for the mobilisation and deployment of domestic private sector resources to address the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in the country which was recommended by NACA and driven by the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA).
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