The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), led by Director-General Temitope Ilori, has announced a landmark initiative to accelerate HIV vaccine development in Nigeria. This groundbreaking project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by the BRILLIANT consortium, is part of the “HIV Vaccine Innovation, Science, and Technology Acceleration in Africa” (HIV-VISTA) project. Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Ms. Ilori emphasized that HIV remains a formidable health challenge in Nigeria, underscoring the urgent need for innovative solutions to curb new infections and contain the epidemic.
Despite notable progress, HIV remains prevalent in Nigeria, with approximately 1.9 million Nigerians living with the virus, making the country one of the most impacted globally. While current prevention measures like antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) have significantly helped control the virus, Ms. Ilori stressed that an effective vaccine is essential to achieving long-term prevention and control. “The HIV-VISTA project offers hope for a vaccine tailored to the unique needs of our population, bringing us closer to a solution that could save countless lives,” she said.
Recent data from UNAIDS highlights the scale of the challenge, revealing an estimated 39.9 million people living with HIV worldwide in 2023, with 65% of cases located in Africa. To address this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently prioritized HIV among other pathogens for urgent vaccine development. With a USAID funding boost of over $45 million, the BRILLIANT consortium aims to fast-track vaccine research across sub-Saharan Africa, especially in regions hardest hit by the epidemic.
Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of the International Research Centre of Excellence at Nigeria’s Institute of Human Virology, noted that the consortium will exclusively conduct the HIV-VISTA project in sub-Saharan Africa. The project will focus on assessing vaccine candidates that could offer viable protection against the virus. “This partnership with the Nigerian government and other African nations reflects the potential of African innovation and scientific expertise to tackle global health issues, particularly those disproportionately affecting the continent,” Abimiku explained.
The initiative has already garnered robust support from several African countries, including South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique. Patrick Dakum, CEO of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), emphasized the importance of partnerships across African nations to advance vaccine development. Dakum highlighted IHVN’s long standing efforts to support HIV prevention and treatment under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), underscoring how a future vaccine would complement these existing strategies.
USAID’s Deputy Director for HIV/TB, Ezekiel James, expressed optimism about the project’s potential to contribute to epidemic control, noting that USAID’s collaborative efforts with Nigerian stakeholders reflect a shared commitment to achieving sustainable health outcomes.
