President Muhammadu Buhari has launched a N62 billion trust fund to help Nigeria end AIDS as a public health threat and place more people living with HIV on treatment yearly.
Speaking at the launch of the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria (HTFN) on Tuesday, President Buhari promised that his administration would continue to prioritize health interventions to address killer diseases and public health emergencies.
The trust fund is championed by the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA) and is driven by the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA).
The President said, ”At the last United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, I made a call for a renewed global action to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.
”Ending AIDS as a public health threat in Nigeria will require increased domestic funding. We have continued to make good our commitment of placing more people living with HIV on treatment annually using national resources.
”However, strong domestic resource mobilization with an enduring partnership and shared responsibility is required to sustain the response to HIV and other emerging public health emergencies.”
He commended the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS for their efforts in establishing the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria to secure a generation of babies free of HIV.
”Going forward, I hope The HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria will galvanize more of the private sector and other partners to surpass the target of Sixty-Two Billion Naira in the next five years,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said today marks a key step towards ensuring that no Nigerian child is born with HIV or contracts the disease all through his life.
Mustapha said, “Since 2005, about $6.2 billion has been spent on HIV response in Nigeria, about 80 percent of these funds were contributed by external donors mainly the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Private Sector contributed 0.1 per cent to 2 per cent of total funds with the rest of funds provided by the Nigerian government.”
Notable personalities at the event include Osagie Ehanire, minister of health; Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture; Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote group; and Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the president.