By Ojoma Akor
The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched lenacapavir (Len PrEP), a twice-yearly injection for the prevention of HIV, in the country.
The government is also committed to exiting donor dependence by 2030.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, made the commitment on Wednesday in Abuja. He also launched the HIV-prevention injection and the Multisectoral Accountability Framework for TB (MAF-TB).
The launching ceremony was organised by the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme (NASCP) of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The minister said lenacapavir provides additional prevention options for individuals at substantial risk of HIV acquisition.
While saying tremendous success has been recorded in dealing with HIV, TB, and malaria over the last 25 years, he added that “the headwinds we’re facing now in terms of the global landscape forces us to think differently.”
He said, ” So as we launch this instrument, I hope it will not only allow us to double our commitments, triple it, multiply it in many folds to ensure that we end TB and we end HIV, because we now have the tools that will get us closer.
“So, in the context of the conversations we’ve been having with one of the major bilateral funders, in terms of the exit, we want to exit dependency over time. By 2030, Nigeria should be able to allocate its own domestic resources to the priority diseases that afflict its people, so it’s not constantly looking for this grant or that grant.
“ The only way that will happen is if Nigeria puts its own money where it matters for the health sector, and that is the federal government, states, and local government; otherwise, we’ll continue to be begging for more money, and we don’t want to do that.”
Prof. Pate emphasized that everyone has a responsibility to ensure the government allocates and releases funds.
“So in the context of this major bilateral funder, I’m just pleased to say that the Co-financing for 2026 in relation to this large program, which supports HIV, TB, malaria, and other strategic investments, is almost $346 million additional. ”
He added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already directed the country’s budget office to ensure it is captured in the 2026 budget.
” That means that some of the commodity costs, the laboratory surveillance costs, the reagents, primary health care, and expansion of financial protection should be included, and that budget is on the way.
“We hope that it will be concluded in a way that ensures that it is there as directed by the President. So you, and all of us, civil society, that’s where you need to step up to ensure that, in fact, in the appropriation process, the voices of Nigerians are felt. When those resources are appropriated to ensure that, in fact, it is released,” he said.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako said in the last three years up to the end of 2025, the performance of the HIV response with focus on the UNAIDS 95 have achieved 93% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 99% of people who know their status are receiving sustained antiretroviral therapy and 95% of people receiving ART are virally suppressed.
He said Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) coverage has also improved from 33% at the start of 2023 to nearly 70% by the end of 2025.
He said, “As we continue to progress in achieving epidemic control, the need to intensify prevention strategies to sustain the gains through innovative, accessible, and scalable methods such as the LEN PrEP remains critical.
“The launch today of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable PrEP administered twice yearly, represents a transformative advance in HIV prevention. It offers high efficacy, discretion, and convenience, especially for individuals who face stigma, mobility challenges, or difficulty adhering to daily oral medications.”
He further said that the launch of lenacapavir and MAF-TB signals Nigeria’s leadership in adopting scientific breakthroughs, strengthening systems, and building a healthier, more resilient nation.
He also advised Nigerians who are negative, but at high risk of getting infected, to commence use of oral preventive medications or injections for PrEP, such as carbotegravir and the newly launched lenacapavir, under appropriate medical guidance.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Welfare, Daju Kachollom, said the launch ceremony marked two significant milestones in Nigeria’s public health response: the national launch of lenacapavir for HIV prevention and the unveiling of the multi-sectoral accountability framework for TB application.
She said the event serves as a reminder of the collective responsibility to confront two of the most persistent public health challenges, tuberculosis, HIV, and AIDS, saying these diseases continue to affect millions globally, and that Nigeria remains committed to leading with evidence-based policies, innovation, and strong partnerships to reduce the burden.
Global Fund representative Jean-Thomas Nouboussi described lenacapavir as a breakthrough, adding that it represents a major advance in HIV prevention because it addresses the difficulty of adherence to daily HIV prevention pills.
He said, “We expect the government will step in and accelerate deployment across the country.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), Dr. Patrick Dakum, highlighted the need for an integrated approach to the HIV and TB response.
He said, “No longer HIV or TB, it is HIV and TB together. Detection, treatment, and prevention must go hand in hand.”
