Lagos Has Launched a Three-Year HIV Plan, Because Apparently Even HIV Needs a Project Timeline

Lagos has unveiled a new three-year HIV Strategic Plan covering 2025 to 2027, and honestly, there is something very Nigerian about announcing a plan in 2026 that started in 2025. But let us leave government mathematics for another day.

The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) says the plan is designed to strengthen HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care across the state, while addressing gaps in reaching underserved communities, linking people to treatment quickly, keeping patients in care and achieving viral suppression.

And this is important because Lagos is Lagos. We are talking about a city where somebody can spend ₦45,000 on brunch, ₦20,000 on Bolt because of surge pricing, and still say, “Please, how much is the HIV test?” like the laboratory is asking for his house rent.

The government says Lagos has already made progress through expanded testing, treatment and community-based interventions. But the remaining challenge is not simply getting people into hospitals. It is getting people to actually test, understand their status, start treatment when necessary and remain in care.

Then there is the big Nigerian problem: stigma.

We are very good at telling people to “go and check yourself,” provided nobody sees us entering the testing centre. The same society that can investigate somebody’s relationship history like EFCC can suddenly become extremely private when the conversation turns to sexual health.

And that is why prevention cannot just be government posters saying Know Your Status and expecting miracles. People need information that speaks like human beings speak, especially young people. They need accessible testing, confidential services and an environment where seeking treatment does not feel like confessing to a crime.

The bigger picture is also changing. Nigeria itself is moving towards a more government-led HIV response as international donor funding declines, with the new national strategy emphasising domestic financing, health insurance and integrating HIV services into primary healthcare.

So Lagos has three years to make this work.

Hopefully, unlike some Nigerian government projects, the strategy will not spend Year One being launched, Year Two being reviewed and Year Three being “re-strategised.”

Because HIV does not care about budget cycles, political transitions or whether the committee has finished their PowerPoint presentation.

The virus is on a deadline. Government should be too.