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NICON Hilton Abuja New!
NICON Hilton in Abuja, Nigeria has, with AED/SMARTWork's assistance, launched its workplace HIV/AIDS policy and program. Photographs
Country Brief
Read SMARTWork's assessment of HIV/AIDS prevention in Nigeria, and recommendations for addressing the epidemic.
Project Plan
Read SMARTWork's targeted plan for Nigeria.
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Nigeria
HIV/AIDS in Nigeria
SMARTWork/Nigeria
Resources
Photographs
HIV/AIDS in Nigeria
Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, is home to one-fifth of the people on the continent. According to the United Nations, in 2002, almost six percent of Nigerians were living with HIV/AIDS—approximately 3.5 million people. Significant facts include:
- Each minute a Nigerian is infected with HIV/AIDS; by the beginning of 2002, more than one million Nigerian children younger than 15 had lost one or both parents to AIDS.
- The majority of Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS—3.2 million individuals—are between 15-49 years old and in their most sexually active years, as well as their most economically productive.
- In nine of Nigeria's 36 states, the prevalence rate increased more than ten percent between 1995 and 1999. The primary HIV transmission routes are heterosexual intercourse, perinatal transmission, and tainted blood products.
- The HIV/AIDS epidemic is compounded by poor health status, and a high prevalence of related factors such as untreated sexually-transmitted infections, multiple sex partners and polygamy, and a lack of accurate information about HIV and its transmission. Condom and contraceptive use is low, and poverty drives many women into commercial sex activities.
The government and employers are beginning to respond to the burgeoning epidemic, particularly since the country's return to democracy in 1999. Without financial and political support, however, many employers have difficulty prioritizing prevention and care efforts. Investment in HIV/AIDS-related services has not kept pace with the epidemic's impact.
At the start of the epidemic, academic and government leaders denied the existence of HIV/AIDS, hampering Nigeria from responding quickly to curtail the epidemic. Coverage has improved recently due to the work of Journalists Against AIDS, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and bodies such as the Presidential Council on AIDS, and the National Action Committee on AIDS.
In 2000, the government created a national HIV/AIDS Emergency Action Plan (HEAP) that outlines activities to respond to HIV/AIDS, and supports access to prevention, care, and support programs. HEAP requires the development of national and local prevention strategies, and includes efforts to create and distribute information, education, and communication materials, as well as efforts to implement workplace programs in response to sub-strategy 5.7. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Productivity is leading an effort to create a national policy and program on HIV/AIDS in the workplace.
On February 15, 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo launched the Nigerian Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS, which encourages the private sector to collaborate with government and NGOs to provide education, support, and care for people living with HIV/AIDS.
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SMARTWork/Nigeria
The program, implemented by the Academy for Educational Development with funding provided by the United States Department of Labor, was established in Lagos, Nigeria in January 2003. Already, SMARTWork/Nigeria has:
- Formed a Tripartite Advisory Board, whose fifteen members include representatives from business, labor, government (including the Ministry of Labor and Productivity's HIV/AIDS Workplace Program Coordinator), NGOs, and the media.
- Reviewed the Ministry of Labor and Productivity's National Policy on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace, and offered technical assistance on the document.
- Provided training, technical assistance, and information to multiple businesses, unions, and NGOs on establishing effective workplace HIV/AIDS prevention programs and policies. Several have already begun to draft policies and implement workplace programs around HIV/AIDS.
- Collaborated with other key stakeholders and players in the national response to HIV/AIDS.
- Completed a country profile and needs assessment that pinpoints areas where issues around HIV/AIDS can be affected.
In the future, SMARTWork/Nigeria will:
- Work to implement the components of the National Policy on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace.
- Leverage its membership on the Nigerian Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS to help create tripartite and collaborative programs that benefit workers and employers.
- Aid in HEAP's implementation, working to ensure that plans are implemented both nationally and locally, that laws and policies are enforced, and that all parties receive information about their roles and responsibilities under HEAP.
- Continue providing training workshops, technical assistance, and information to employers, labor unions, and other interested entities.
- Evaluate available HIV/AIDS materials and ensure that high-quality materials are available at workplaces and other locations.
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Resources
For more information on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, click here to access the UNAIDS 2004 Nigeria Epidemiological Fact Sheet.
For more information on SMARTWork/Nigeria, contact:
Mr. Abiodun Adetoro, Country Coordinator
SMARTWork/Nigeria
Ladegbuwa Plaza, 2nd Floor
No. 6 Alhaja Ashabi Cole Road
Central Business District
Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos
Nigeria
Tel: 234-1-473-0364
aadetoro@aed.org
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