The Imo State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with The Ike Odoeme Foundation, has commenced preparations for the 2025 World AIDS Day Commemoration with a strategic stakeholders’ engagement meeting held on Thursday, 31 October 2025, at the Office of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Imo State Secretariat.
The meeting, which began with an opening prayer by Ms Michelle Akobundu, brought together key partners in the HIV response ecosystem, including the World Health Organization, Christian Community Foundation Nigeria, Red Cross Society, Korona Health Initiative, MSHI, NEPHWAH, CISHAN, The Ike Odoeme Foundation, and other community and health sector collaborators.
In her welcome address, the Director of Public Health outlined the essence of the annual commemoration, stressing the need for intensified community mobilisation, strengthened multi-sectoral collaboration, and improved support systems for People Living with HIV. She commended the Ike Odoeme Foundation for its role in driving early preparations and mobilising critical partners for the event.
The Honourable Commissioner for Health, who chaired the meeting, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for their commitment.
She underscored the importance of unified messaging to counter HIV-related misinformation and the need for robust partnerships with NGOs and international bodies such as WHO, Red Cross, and CCFN. The Commissioner reiterated the State Government’s commitment to promoting evidence-based awareness, advancing policies that protect PLHIV and key populations, and ensuring that the 2025 commemoration would be both impactful and inclusive.
Stakeholders made several contributions geared towards enhancing the effectiveness of the planned activities. Mr Richard Nwamadi called for wider stakeholder mobilisation, engagement of partners offering nutritional support to PLHIV, and the use of Eze Imo’s Palace as a community sensitisation platform. Responding to a query on multiple meetings by different agencies, the Commissioner clarified that all relevant bodies, including SACA, operate under the Ministry of Health and must work in unity to avoid duplication of efforts.
NEPHWAH Coordinator, Mr Tony Duru, advocated high-level engagement with the Executive Governor to strengthen policy support for HIV interventions. Representatives of WHO, Red Cross, CCFN, Korona, MSHI, CISHAN and others pledged continued technical and operational support.
They collectively requested an official budget document to enable them to identify their respective areas of contribution.
Key action points from the meeting included the mobilisation of more stakeholders, creation of official social media platforms for accurate HIV information, inclusion of key populations in subsequent engagements, strengthened collaboration between SACA and the Ministry of Health, and support for SDG-driven community health education by NGOs. International and local partners also committed to providing resources for advocacy, awareness creation, and PLHIV support programmes.
The meeting adjourned with an agreement to reconvene on Friday, 7 November 2025. It ended with a vote of thanks and a group photograph of participating stakeholders.
The minutes were prepared by Prince Odoemelam, State AIDS Programme Coordinator, with Secretariat Support from Peter Dibia.
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