By Obianuju Isima
Anambra State is strengthening its grassroots HIV response through expanded community mobilisation, campus engagement and increased access to testing and prevention services, as it intensifies efforts towards achieving an HIV free state by 2030.
The Executive Director/Project Manager of the Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA), Dr. Nkem Okeke, disclosed this on Nov. 12 while receiving the Students’ Union Government (SUG) Attorney General of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) and her team, who paid him a courtesy visit.
Dr. Okeke explained that the state was adopting a community driven approach to HIV prevention, with emphasis on public awareness, early testing, stakeholder collaboration and improved access to essential services.
He disclosed that more than 10,000 people had been reached through HIV testing initiatives, describing the achievement as part of the state’s determination to strengthen early diagnosis and ensure that more residents know their HIV status.
The ANSACA boss further revealed that approximately 1,965 community based personnel had been mobilised across the state’s wards to drive awareness campaigns and support HIV interventions at the grassroots.
According to him, the initiative is designed to bridge information and service delivery gaps by taking HIV prevention messages and essential interventions directly to communities, rather than waiting for residents to seek them out.
He highlighted the establishment of Campus Action Committees on AIDS (CACA) in 27 tertiary institutions across Anambra, noting that the initiative provides students with opportunities to take ownership of HIV awareness and prevention activities within their campuses.
Dr. Okeke said the state’s HIV response was aligned with the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, which seek to ensure that 95 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed receive sustained antiretroviral treatment, and 95 per cent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
He attributed the agency’s growing interventions and achievements to the support of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, noting that the Governor’s commitment had created an enabling environment for ANSACA to expand its programmes and strengthen the state’s HIV response.
He added that the administration’s vision of a healthier and more productive population remained central to the agency’s drive towards eliminating HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
Addressing the visiting student leaders, Dr. Okeke encouraged young people to see HIV prevention as a shared responsibility, urging them to use their positions and influence to promote accurate information, discourage discrimination against people living with HIV and encourage responsible health choices among their peers.
He reaffirmed ANSACA’s readiness to partner with student organisations, youth groups and other relevant stakeholders to deepen campus sensitisation, expand prevention activities and improve access to HIV-related services.
The Executive Director stressed that achieving an HIV free Anambra by 2030 would require sustained commitment from government, institutions, communities and individuals, urging the students to become active partners in translating the state’s vision into reality.
Obianuju Isima is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
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