There are strong indications that a National HIV/AIDS Fund (NAHAF) may be established going by developments at the Zonal/National Consultative Meeting on Ownership and Sustainability for HIV programmes in Nigeria. This is predicated on stakeholders represented at the meeting agreeing with the concept as proposed by Dr. John Nnorom. The consultative meeting convened by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) is to primarily seek innovative ways through which HIV programmes may be sustained with greater commitment by the public and private sectors and other stakeholders.

The rationale for the establishment of National HIV/AIDS Fund (NAHAF) is basically to sustain the financing of HIV programmes in the country. Dr. John Nnorom said that 85% of funding for HIV programmes is provided by donors with just about 15% from Federal and State governments. He said that data for the current funding sources was collected during the National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) which collated funding information from community and facility level and not from budgetary allocations.

Dr. John Nnorom said that the acceptability of the National HIV/AIDS Fund would be based on its transparency, policy backing and efficiency.  He stated that NAHAF is not an additional structure to NACA, SACA, LACA or any other critical mass sectors, but would purely seek to fund the National and State Strategic Plans. These plans will include activities that will be implemented by NGOs and Civil Society Organisations.  

The National HIV/AIDS Fund is an innovative financing mechanism which is to operate using the Public Private Partnership model. The main resourcing channels proposed are through government taxation and corporate social responsibility funds of private sector organisations. The industries targeted are Oil and Gas, Telecommunications, Aviation and Maritime, Banking and Insurance, Food and Beverages, Philanthropists and private donors.

Dr. John Nnorom presented examples of innovative financing mechanisms already in operation in other places including UNITAID – an international facility for purchase of drugs against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Product (RED) – which engages the private sector to deliver a sustained flow of funds to Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

NAHAF is to be managed by a Governing Board which would include major players from the government, public and private sectors, Management and a Technical Working Group. Proposals for funding would be reviewed by a Technical Working Group (TWG) consisting of consultants appointed for a specified term of one year. The draw down eligibility and draw down mechanisms were also clearly explained. The National HIV/AIDS Fund is a model that would genuinely support the sustainability of our aspirations for a reversed HIV epidemic by 2015.