Group expands scope on campaign against HIV

APIN Public Health Initiatives, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), says it has expanded its scope on the campaign against HIV/AIDS.

APIN unveiled its new corporate identity at an event in Abuja during the weekend.

Speaking at the event, Prosper Okonkwo, chief executive director of the APIN, said the organisation has been operating in Nigeria since 2000.

“In 2004, we began implementing comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programmes with support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),” Okonkwo said.

“These projects culminated in the establishment of APIN as a registered independent NGO in 2007 with the aim of building local capacity and sustainability of HIV/AIDS and other diseases in Nigeria.

“With approval for a name change to APIN Public Health Initiatives by our board of directors in early 2015 and ratification of same by CAC in September 2015, this change was successfully effected on the United States government and other contracting systems beginning September 2016.”

Okonkwo said APIN has built and strengthened human and infrastructural capacities, particularly laboratory and strategic management systems in Oyo, Lagos, Plateau and Borno states.

“This formed the very solid foundation on which the USG PEPFAR programme was established in 2004,” he said.

“From 2004-2011, we implemented in 10 states namely – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, Borno, Yobe, Enugu and Ebonyi.

“In the just-concluded cycle (2012-2017), and as a result of PEPFAR Nigeria’s rationalisation policy, we worked in three states (Lagos, Oyo and Plateau).

“In the current PEPFAR cycle  (2017-2022), APIN implementation covers eight states of the federation; Benue, Lagos, Plateau, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, and we currently have more than 250,000 patients receiving ART at supported health facilities in these states.”