History of National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA)

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in Nigeria is a federal government agency responsible for supporting the control of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria as well as monitoring and evaluating HIV/AIDS activities in Nigeria, amongst others.

The agency is tasked with curbing HIV/AIDS by sensitizing, coordinating and developing strategies for a more effective response to HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

History of National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA, formerly National Action Committee on AIDS) was established in February 2000 to coordinate the various activities of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Among other purposes.

Functions/Mandate of NACA in Nigeria

1. Plan and coordinate activities of the various sectors in the National Response Strategic Framework;
2. Facilitate the engagement of all tiers of government and all sectors on issues of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support;
3. Advocate for the mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS interventions into all sectors of the society;
4. Formulate policies and guidelines on HIV/AIDS;
5. Support HIV/AIDS research in the country;
6. Mobilize resources (local and foreign) and coordinate equitable application for HIV/AIDS activities;
7. Provide and coordinate linkages with the global community on HIV/AIDS;
8. Monitor and evaluate all HIV/AIDS activities in the country;
9. Facilitate the development and management of the policies and strategies of all sectors to ensure the human, financial and organizational resources to support the successful execution of the national HIV/AIDS response programme.
10. Establish, encourage and promote training programme for the employees of the Agency and other appropriate persons from public or private organizations;
11. Perform such functions as may, from time to time be assigned to it by the Government; and
12. Facilitate collaboration for the management of HIV and opportunistic infections.

HIV Prevalence in Nigeria

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation with about 170 million people. It currently has reported HIV prevalence of 1.4%, next only to South Africa in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Nigerian government’s response to the epidemic is based on a national strategic workplan known as the HIV/AIDS Emergency Action Plan, which originally was a four-year plan with a US $190million cost for programme execution.

The plan was designed to be jointly executed by the Government of Nigeria, bilateral donors, and a World Bank IDA credit.

The HEAP document identified over 200 activities which the government is to pursue over a four-year period. Designed to promote a multi-sectoral, participatory response to HIV/AIDS prevention and impact mitigation, the HEAP guided the implementation of activities and appropriate allocation of available resources.

In 2004-05 at the expiration of the life of the HEAP a new framework, the National Strategic Framework NSF was developed with wide participation from Civil Society, the Private sector, Government entities and implementing bodies and the international donor community in Nigeria. The NSF designed with a life span of 5 years would guide the National Response and all implementing and coordinating entities to contain the spreading epidemic.

NACA serves to ensure that entities and groups responsible for implementation of the NSF objectives and activities receive the financial, organizational and human resources support required to undertake and complete assigned activities in a multi-sectoral environment; NACA also serves to ensure that all partners in the war against HIV/AIDS see the NSF as a frame-work for national and nation-wide coordination of one response.