The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have pledged to deepen collaboration and incorporate HIV prevention and support services into Nigeria’s emergency and disaster response systems.

This commitment was made during a courtesy visit by NACA’s Director General, Dr. Temitope Ilori, to NEMA’s headquarters in Abuja, where she met with NEMA’s Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar. The meeting focused on exploring partnership opportunities in humanitarian response, ensuring that vulnerable groups, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), have access to HIV prevention tools, testing, and treatment during emergencies.

Both agencies reaffirmed their shared goal of protecting the health and resilience of vulnerable communities, marking a new step toward integrating disaster management and public health initiatives.

Dr. Ilori commended NEMA for its pivotal role in coordinating national emergency responses and emphasized the importance of embedding HIV interventions within disaster management frameworks.
“There is a need to ensure that IDPs and other vulnerable populations have access to HIV prevention tools, testing services, and treatment during crises,” she stated.

In her remarks, Mrs. Umar described the visit as timely and strategic, noting that NEMA and NACA share a common mission of coordination—while NEMA manages disaster response, NACA oversees the national HIV response. She stressed that synergy between both agencies is vital to building resilient communities.

“Prevention remains our core focus. The stronger our communities are, the fewer victims we’ll have, and the less we’ll need to spend on emergency responses,” she said.

Umar further highlighted that health assessments in IDP camps rarely consider HIV status and underscored the need to integrate HIV testing, care, and prevention services while maintaining confidentiality and reducing stigma.

She also expressed interest in adopting NACA’s preventive tools and medications, noting that long-term IDP settlements often involve adult cohabitation, which increases the importance of access to HIV prevention measures.