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Nigeria: Naca Laments 25 Percent Reduction in HIV/Aids Funds
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Daily Trust (Abuja)
4 July 2008
Posted to the web 4 July 2008
Idris Ahmed
The National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) has said that Federal Government's reduction of the HIV/AIDS funds by twenty-five percent this year could affect the campaign against the epidemic in the country.
Allocation to HIV/AIDS is down from N1.53 billion appropriated in 2007 to N1.115 billion this year but NACA Director-General Professor Babatunde Oshotemein said government should improve funding to the fighting of the epidemic even though the scourge has reduced.
Speaking at a workshop titled "The Creation of Budget Lines on HIV/AIDS in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies" sponsored by the Ministry of Finance yesterday, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, Oshotemein said donor agencies provide over 50 percent of the funds towards the HIV/AIDS fighting.
He said "there is a need to reduce dependence on external support and ensure sustainability of programmes. We need to establish core funding for HIV/AIDS to ensure Nigeria can provide 80% of her requirements over time."
According to Oshotemein, the World Bank Credit of $90.3 million made available to Nigeria in 2003 to fight the scourge for five years ended in June but with an additional financing agreement signed for $50 million with 2-year extension.
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria amounted to $180 million with over five years objectives effective from January last year, the NACA boss said.
"Major funding gaps exist in the prevention arena where MDAs play a major role in implementing and expanding workplace programmes for staff and prevention programmes for MDAs clientele", he said.
According to him, while the epidemic infection has reduced for 5.8 percent in 2001 to 4.4 percent in 2005, the impact is still high in the North Central zone with 6.1 percent while South West is least with 2.6 percent.
Out of the 6.1 percent impact in the North Central, Benue state has the highest infection rate 10 percent while Kwara state has the least percent of 2.8.
In the South West, Ekiti has the least infected people with 1.6 percent while Ogun top the list with 3.6 percent.
The general breakdown of the impact of the disease among the six geo-political regions in the country revealed thus; North Central (6.1%), South South (5.3%), South East (4.7%), North East (4.3%), South West (2.6%) and North West (3.5%).
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Currently, an estimated 4 million Nigerians are living with the HIV/AIDS virus and this cut across all age groups, Finance Minister, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman said in his remark at the workshop.
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