Access Holdings Plc has partnered with the Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCAA) to provide free HIV testing to over 2,000 participants at the just-concluded Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. The aim is to promote public health and reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.
The testing which took place in Lagos state also sensitized about 3,000 individuals on HIV prevention and distributed over 2,000 educational materials and condoms to participants.
According to both partners, the exercise came at a critical time, following the decision by United States President Donald Trump to pause all foreign aid funding for 90 days, a move that directly impacted the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR currently supports over 1.5 million HIV-positive Nigerians and funds about 70 per cent of the country’s annual HIV response budget.
Speaking on the exercise, Esther Graham, a member of Access Holdings’ Sustainability Team, stated that the initiative was necessary for private-sector collaboration in tackling Nigeria’s HIV crisis.
Her words, “It has never been more important to have programmes and collaborations like this, and Access Holdings is proud to be a part of this initiative,” she remarked. “With Nigeria having one of the highest HIV/AIDS burdens in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is vital that we take decisive actions to create awareness and give access to free HIV/AIDS testing services.”
Similarly, a member of the African HIV Control Working Group and former Chief Executive Officer of NIBUCAA, Dr Jekwu Ozoemene, called on the Nigerian government to act swiftly, warning, “The government urgently needs to prepare an emergency plan to ensure that the 1.9 million HIV-positive Nigerians have secure access to treatment, monitoring, and support if external funding for HIV is halted or curtailed. We must take full ownership of our national HIV response. If we don’t act swiftly, people will die.”
Access Bank pointed out that it is a key partner of NIBUCAA and has continued to work with over 20 top Nigerian businesses, including the Dangote Group and Shell Development Company of Nigeria, to combat HIV/AIDS.
Through community outreach and advocacy efforts, the coalition aims to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensure access to quality HIV/AIDS services.