The National Agency for the Control of AIDS is set to partner with the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo State on research and grants to scale up the prevention and elimination of HIV/AIDS in the country
This was disclosed when the Director General of NACA, Dr Temitope Ilori, paid a working visit/field trip to the college on Tuesday.
The 2023 statistics from NACA showed that 1.8 million persons are estimated to be living with HIV in Nigeria, out of which about 1.63 million are already on the lifesaving medication of Antiretroviral Therapy.
Ilori said, “I know that the College has been supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS especially with outstanding research, and treatment.
“We are here to learn from you and how we can collaborate. NACA is responsible for the multi-sectoral collaboration on HIV/AIDS in the country, and we have been collaborating with religious leaders, Traditional Birth Attendants. We are also working with key populations like sex workers, and men having sex with men, among others.
“So, we are looking at doing all these in the next coming month and collaborating with the University of Ibadan. This partnership becomes more pertinent when we know that as we speak, Nigeria, unfortunately, has the highest global burden of children born with HIV/AIDS, so, we really need to work very hard at the prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of the disease and that’s why it is one of our priority areas”.
While expressing readiness about the potential partnership, the Provost of the College, Prof Olayinka Omigbodun said the college is open to collaboration due to its research capabilities and access to grants that could benefit the agency.
Omigbodun noted that research grants are key to the survival of any institution, especially in findings, research, and ranking.
“At the college, we are filled with researchers and people with brilliant minds. A lot of the equipment we use comes from research grants and one of the things research grants does is that it helps with internalisation.
“When you talk about AIDS research, here at the College of Medicine, a lot of people, including the old and new generations, have done lots of excellent work particularly as it relates to HIV,” she stated.
She disclosed that the college recently received a five-year grant which commenced on April 1 2024 to December 31, 2028.
She highlighted that the college’s global exposure could provide valuable resources for mentorship and other areas where the agency might need assistance.
