A new report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS has warned that Nigeria’s condom distribution declined by 55 percent over the past year, signalling a major setback in ongoing efforts to curb HIV infections.
The global agency released the findings on Tuesday while presenting its 2025 World AIDS Day report, which paints a worrying picture of disruptions across prevention, testing and treatment services.
According to UNAIDS, 13 African countries recorded drops in the number of people starting HIV treatment. It added that nearly 450,000 women across sub-Saharan Africa no longer have access to “mother mentors”, the community workers who support pregnant women and new mothers in securing HIV care.
The organisation linked the setbacks to shrinking funding lines and an increasingly harsh human rights climate, warning that both factors are eroding years of progress.
“The financial shortfall has exposed how fragile the gains we fought for are,” UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said in Geneva. “Infants are missing out on HIV testing, young women are losing access to prevention, and entire communities are suddenly left without support. We must not turn our backs on them.”
Byanyima noted that even before the disruptions, young women and adolescent girls were among the most vulnerable. The report estimates that about 570 young women aged 15 to 24 contracted HIV every day.
The agency further warned that the collapse of prevention programmes will deepen risks for women, pointing out that more than 60 percent of women-led organisations have been forced to suspend key services. UNAIDS projections show that without urgent restoration of prevention efforts, the world could record an additional 3.3 million new HIV infections between 2025 and 2030.
The organisation urged global leaders to protect and expand HIV funding, invest in affordable prevention options and uphold human rights, stressing that communities must remain at the heart of the global HIV response.
