Plateau State Plans Five-Year Strategy as HIV Funding Drops

The Plateau State Government and health workers are putting together a five-year plan. This plan aims to keep HIV prevention, treatment, and care going as international funding for HIV programs in Nigeria decreases.

Ibinibo Chukwuemeka, who is the Director of Health Systems Strengthening at APIN Public Health Initiatives, mentioned that the shift in funding means the government needs to take more charge. Stronger actions are needed to keep HIV services running as donor support reduces. This was reported by Africa Independent Television (AIT) on Wednesday.

APIN, which used to be known as the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria, has been helping with HIV prevention, treatment, and care in Plateau State for about 25 years. They have worked to make HIV treatment more accessible to people in rural and peri-urban areas, including through primary healthcare facilities.

The five-year plan is expected to help the state take on more responsibility for funding and managing HIV services. It aims to protect the progress made in prevention, testing, treatment, and care.

Health officials, government representatives, and other stakeholders are creating strategies to lessen the impact of the expected drop in donor funding. They want to avoid any break in services for people living with HIV.

One idea being considered is to include HIV and AIDS services in the Plateau State Health Insurance Scheme. Stakeholders are also looking into local sources for antiretroviral drugs. This is to ensure that treatment continues without interruption as external funding decreases.

The transition plan would provide a clear guide on how to keep HIV efforts going. It will also clarify the roles of the state government and other partners in funding and delivering essential services.

This move comes as Nigeria shifts towards more local funding and government management of HIV response. In June, the Federal Government introduced the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan 2026, 2030. This plan focuses on local funding, expanding health insurance, and mixing HIV services with the overall healthcare system.

The need for new ways to finance HIV programs is crucial as international support continues to fall. Nigeria's current national HIV financing plan has also pointed out the need for locally made antiretroviral drugs and increased government spending as ways to lessen funding issues.

Plateau has already made efforts to take more control of its HIV response. During the state’s 2025 World AIDS Day celebration, officials revealed that 51,370 people were living with HIV in the state as of September 2025. They also noted that 47,056 adults and 1,835 children were receiving antiretroviral therapy.

The state’s HIV response saw 2,786 new infections and 460 HIV-related deaths in 2024. These figures were shared by the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Ba’amlong, in December 2025.

The success of this new plan will rely on steady government funding, good planning, and the ability of the state health system to take on services that used to rely on outside help. For people living with HIV, ensuring they have steady access to antiretroviral treatment and other vital services must stay at the forefront of this transition.