12 March 2002 -- In its continued efforts to find solutions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, the Nigerian government, over the weekend, held a Presidential Forum on HIV/AIDS. Hosted by President Olusegun Obasanjo, the forum was attended by a number of dignitaries including former United States President Jimmy Carter; Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates (Snr.); Professor Jeffrey Sachs; Dr. Helen Gayle and a former Nigerian President, Dr. Yakubu Gowon.

Other delegates were National Assembly Members, members of the Federal Executive Council, Officials of UN Agencies, Bilateral and Multilateral Organizations, National and International NGOs, local and international media and PLWHAs.

Nigeria now has a national HIV prevalence rate of 5.8% and a population of 3.01 million adults who are living with HIV/AIDS. The country is currently embarking on a "Care" project - to provide Anti Retro Viral (ARV) treatment for 10,000 adults and 5,000 children, at a cost of about three hundred and fifty million naira (over US$3 million).

The World Health Organization (WHO) was represented at the meeting by Dr. Abdou Moudi (WR/NIE); Dr. Frank Mueke (MO/IMCI/NIE); Dr. Niyi Ogundiran (MO/HIV/AIDS/NIE) and Dr. Joseph Perriens (HQ). At the forum, WHO made presentations on "Evidence Based Allocation of Resources Towards AIDS Prevention" and "The Role of the United nations in HIV/AIDS Control", the latter made on behalf of the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General.

The Forum noted the high level commitment of the Nigerian government to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and urged that the current political and financial commitment be maintained and eventually increased. It also called for honesty and unity of purpose at all levels of national and international participation in the fight against the epidemic.

The Forum also expressed concern that the debt owed by Nigeria was jeopardizing adequate financing of the country's health system by government, and called on its creditor nations to write off the debts. It also called on those concerned to ensure that the recommendations from the meeting are properly implemented.

As a fallout of the Forum, WHO is to assist the government in brokering limited negotiation with Pharmaceutical companies on ARVs, in view of the need to include some other drugs in the spectrum of drugs ordered by the government.

For more information, please contact Mr. Austine Oghide, NPO/HIP, 
WHO, 443 Herbert Macaulay Road, 
Yaba, Lagos. 
Tel (234)1 5453662-3; 2903276-7; 7737092-3.
E-mail: oghidea [at] who-nigeria.org (oghidea[at]who-nigeria[dot]org)
or 
Dr. Niyi Ogundiran, MO/HIV/AIDS. 
E-mail: ogundirann [at] who-nigeria.org (ogundirann[at]who-nigeria[dot]org)