By Obianuju Isima
The Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) has reiterated the importance of data driven decision making in the fight against HIV/AIDS, urging stakeholders to strengthen reporting systems, embracing evidence based interventions to accelerate progress toward epidemic control.
The call was made on June 18 during the quarterly non health sector District Health Information System (DHIS) Data review meeting held in Awka, where key stakeholders gathered to assess performance, validate data, strategizing on improving HIV response across the state.
Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Director of ANSACA, Dr. Nkem Okeke, stressed that the HIV response cannot be left solely to the health sector, emphasizing the need for a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving the education sector, youth and women development ministries, civil society organizations, faith based groups, development partners and community stakeholders.
According to Dr. Okeke, the non health sector DHIS platform remains a critical tool for documenting interventions, tracking performance, identifying service gaps and generating evidence needed for effective planning and policy formulation.
He urged stakeholders to prioritize data quality, timeliness, completeness and utilization, noting that every report reflects lives reached, communities impacted, awareness created and support provided to vulnerable populations.
“Reliable data is essential for measuring progress, attracting resources, influencing policy and achieving sustainable HIV epidemic control,” he said.
While commending stakeholders for improvements recorded in non health sector reporting, Dr. Okeke identified challenges such as delayed submissions, incomplete reports, data inconsistencies and inadequate documentation of activities, calling for stronger collaboration, continuous capacity building, supportive supervision, enhancing accountability to address these gaps and improve service delivery.
The ANSACA boss expressed appreciation to development partners, implementing organizations for their sustained technical and financial support in strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems across the state.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Anambra State Government, under the leadership of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, to building a sustainable, inclusive and data-driven HIV response framework in line with the State Strategic Transformation and Sustainability Plan (SSTSP 2026–2028) and the UNAIDS target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The review meeting featured technical presentations, performance assessments, data validation exercises and strategic discussions aimed at enhancing non health sector reporting, improving evidence based programming throughout Anambra State.
The meeting brought together representatives of implementing partners, including AHNI, AHF, KNCV, and NEPWHAN, as well as officials from the State AIDS and STI Control Programme (SASCP), the Ministries of Education, Women Affairs, Youth Development and other organizations involved in the state’s HIV response efforts.
Obianuju Isima is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
