Abuja: Prof. Prosper Okonkwo, a public health expert, has called for sustainable domestic financing of Nigeria’s HIV response, protection of its laboratory network, and integration of HIV treatment into health insurance. Okonkwo made the call in his inaugural lecture, titled ‘Beyond Molecules: From Science to Sustainable Impact in Nigeria’s HIV Response,’ at the 14th Bingham University Inaugural Lecture.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Okonkwo, a Professor of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology in the Department of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care of the university, said Nigeria had expanded HIV treatment significantly. The programme grew from about 15,000 people in its early years to more than 1.78 million by 2023. He noted that modern treatment had transformed HIV into a long-term condition that could be managed, allowing individuals to live long, healthy lives with proper treatment.
Okonkwo highlighted that people who consistently maintained an undetectable viral load would not transmit HIV through sex. However, he emphasized that Nigeria’s remaining challenges were increasingly about equity, financing, and governance rather than a lack of effective medicines. Between 2019 and 2021, external partners financed between 93% and 96% of Nigeria’s HIV programme, a dependence he argued could not support lasting national ownership.
He advocated for the inclusion of HIV services in the health insurance benefit package, supported by subsidies and a clear timetable for transitioning to increased domestic financing. Okonkwo acknowledged recent government measures, including the National Health Compact signed in November 2025 and a N22.68 billion HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria co-financing provision in the 2026 budget, but emphasized the need for effective implementation.
Prof. Okonkwo also urged the Federal Government to formally designate the laboratory network developed for HIV as a national health security asset, noting its role in supporting Nigeria’s COVID-19 testing response. He called for the completion of plans to integrate HIV services into primary healthcare, highlighting that some facilities already provided HIV care alongside services for hypertension and mental health.
He stressed the importance of sustaining focus on children, with about 160,000 children aged zero to 14 years still living with HIV and requiring continued access to treatment and care. In 2023, an estimated 22,000 children acquired HIV, while 15,000 died from AIDS-related causes. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission coverage reached 66% in 2024, leaving significant gaps in protecting mothers and babies from HIV infection.
Okonkwo pointed to progress in paediatric treatment, with coverage among children already diagnosed with HIV rising from about 29% in 2023 to 74% in 2025. He emphasized the need to reach populations most affected by the epidemic, where HIV prevalence was estimated at between eight and 21 times higher than the 2018 national average of 1.4%.
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Temitope Ilori, described the lecture as an exercise in implementation and translational science, highlighting its relevance to Nigeria’s HIV response. Ilori emphasized the importance of working closely with government and policymakers to generate local evidence capable of guiding policies and improving patient outcomes.
Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, remarked that the lecture demonstrated the importance of evidence-based scholarship in moving the country forward. ‘His lecture was anchored on evidence, showing the translation of evidence into practical action and impact, while the recommendations were clearly based on lessons learned,’ she said.