Lagos shifts HIV response to 57 LGs, LCDAs

The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency has directed the state’s 57 local government areas and local council development areas to take greater responsibility for HIV prevention, testing and treatment as the state prepares for a statewide screening exercise.

The agency said the success of the screening would not be measured by the number of people tested alone, but by how many people reached through the exercise are linked to treatment and retained in care.

The Chief Executive Officer of LSACA, Dr Folakemi Animashaun, gave the directive at the SACA-LACA Coordination Meeting on Wednesday, urging local authorities to take ownership of HIV interventions in their communities.

Animashaun said the state’s HIV response must move beyond government-level planning to communities where people live and work.

She called for deliberate outreach to underserved populations in markets, schools, workplaces, transport communities, faith-based settings and other locations where residents may not routinely access health facilities.

“The journey does not end with the positive result. In many ways, that is where our responsibility becomes even more important,” she said, stressing the need for prompt linkage to treatment, adherence support and viral load monitoring.

Animashaun said local authorities were better positioned to identify communities and populations that could be missed by a centrally-driven response because of their knowledge of local health facilities and residents.

She therefore urged the LGAs and LCDAs to see themselves as “co-owners” of the state’s HIV programme rather than recipients of interventions from LSACA.

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The agency said the planned screening would also test the state’s ability to coordinate HIV services across its local government structure and ensure that people identified during the exercise are connected to appropriate prevention, treatment and care services.

Animashaun also linked the exercise to the Lagos State HIV Sustainability and Strategic Plan 2025–2027 and the proposed HIV Sustainability Roadmap 2027–2037.

She said sustaining the HIV response would require more than funding, citing stronger institutions, reliable data systems, effective procurement and supply mechanisms, integration of HIV services into the wider health system and greater government ownership.

Director of Projects, LSACA, Michael Essien, said the meeting would only be useful if discussions translated into concrete action at the local government level.

Essien urged LGA and LCDA representatives to identify challenges affecting HIV service delivery in their areas and maintain regular communication with LSACA to ensure gaps were addressed promptly.

He also called for proper coordination ahead of the statewide screening, particularly to ensure that people reached during the exercise are not left without access to follow-up services.

Animashaun said the broader objective was to prevent new HIV infections while ensuring that people living with HIV receive sustained care and support across Lagos.