The Lagos State Government has unveiled a three-year strategic plan aimed at strengthening HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care across the state through 2027.
The 2025–2027 HIV Strategic Plan is designed to improve coordination of HIV programmes, resources and partnerships while addressing identified gaps in the state’s response to the disease.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, LSACA, Dr Folakemi Animashaun, unveiled the plan during its dissemination programme.
Animashaun said the document would provide a framework for coordinating HIV interventions and ensuring that stakeholders work towards measurable outcomes before the end of the plan period.
According to her, Lagos has made progress in HIV prevention, testing, treatment and community-based interventions, but several challenges still require sustained attention.
She identified the need to reach underserved populations, expand access to prevention and testing services, ensure that people living with HIV are promptly linked to treatment and improve retention in care as some of the priorities under the new plan.
Achieving viral suppression among people living with HIV is also expected to remain a major focus of the state’s intervention efforts.
Animashaun said the dissemination exercise provided an opportunity for stakeholders to assess the progress already made, identify outstanding gaps and refocus their efforts towards achieving the targets contained in the strategic plan.
She stressed that sustained collaboration, adequate resources and effective coordination would be crucial to building a stronger and more sustainable HIV response in Lagos.
The LSACA chief executive also emphasised the importance of evidence-based decision-making in implementing the plan, saying the agency would continue to coordinate the state’s HIV response, mobilise resources and monitor implementation.
She acknowledged the contributions of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, relevant government ministries, development partners, civil society organisations, communities and healthcare workers to Lagos’ HIV response.
The new strategic plan is expected to guide HIV-related interventions across the state, with particular emphasis on expanding access to prevention, testing, treatment and long-term care.
It also seeks to strengthen partnerships among government institutions, healthcare providers, development organizations and communities in order to improve outcomes for people affected by HIV.
With the plan running through 2027, the Lagos government is expected to use the framework to measure progress, close service gaps and strengthen efforts towards a more sustainable HIV response across the state.
