REPORT OF NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGIC PLAN (2026–2030) ZERO DRAFT REVIEW MEETING: Civil Society Perspective (CiSHAN Representation)
Esther Thelfid Foundation’s Executive Director, Chinwe Esther Aganekwu represented CiSHAN National as the FCT coordinator in this strategic meeting.
Background
The National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2026–2030 Zero Draft Review Meeting, convened by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in Abuja, brought together stakeholders from government, civil society, and development partners to refine Nigeria’s roadmap toward ending AIDS by 2030. The draft reflects strong alignment with global commitments, with emphasis on equity, gender equality, human rights, and community leadership.
Key Highlights
The NSP demonstrates a clear commitment to:
- Promoting equity, gender equality, and human rights
- Recognizing community systems and leadership as central to the HIV response
- Strengthening integration of HIV services with broader health systems
- Leveraging innovation and data systems for improved outcomes
Nigeria has recorded significant progress, including a substantial reduction in new infections and improved treatment outcomes. However, the HIV burden remains considerable, with persistent disparities across populations and locations.
Civil Society Perspective (Priority 3 Focus)
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), represented by CiSHAN, acknowledged the strong policy direction but highlighted that implementation gaps remain the key challenge.
Key Issues Identified
- High levels of stigma and discrimination continue to limit access to services
- Weak legal enforcement and access to justice for affected populations
- Ongoing gender inequality and gender-based violence driving vulnerability
- Underfunded and underutilized community systems
- Limited integration of community-generated data into national systems
- Persistent inequities affecting rural populations, youth, key populations, and persons with disabilities
Community Leadership and Systems
The meeting reaffirmed the critical role of communities in delivering services, driving demand, supporting treatment adherence, and ensuring accountability through community-led monitoring (CLM). However, community systems remain insufficiently funded and not fully institutionalized within governance, financing, and data systems.
Key Recommendations from Civil Society
To strengthen Strategic Priority 3, CSOs recommended:
Institutionalizing community co-leadership across planning, governance, and financing
Scaling and integrating community-led monitoring (CLM) into national data systems
- Strengthening human rights programming, including legal literacy and redress mechanisms
- Advancing gender-transformative approaches to address structural drivers of inequality
- Expanding community-based and differentiated service delivery, especially for underserved populations
- Increasing sustainable financing for CSOs and community systems
- Strengthening data systems and use of disaggregated data for decision-making
Conclusion
The NSP 2026–2030 provides a strong and forward-looking framework. However, achieving its goals will depend on effectively bridging the gap between policy and implementation, particularly by addressing structural barriers and strengthening community systems.
Civil society remains a vital partner in ensuring that national commitments translate into equitable access, improved outcomes, and sustainable impact, ultimately contributing to ending AIDS as a public health threat in Nigeria by 2030.
