The Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) has commenced moves to strengthen and revive the HIV response at the grassroots through the repositioning of Local Action Committee on AIDS (LACA) structures and closer integration with the HIV/AIDS Awareness Brigade (HAB) across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
The Executive Director/Project Manager of ANSACA, Dr. Nkem Okeke, disclosed this during a strategic engagement with LACA Managers and HAB Coordinators held on September 2 in Awka.
A major highlight of the meeting was the move to establish a 1,693-member Ward HIV/AIDS Brigade, designed to deepen HIV awareness, prevention, testing, referrals and linkage to care at the community level across Anambra State.
Okeke said the initiative would help take the HIV response beyond the state and local government structures directly into communities, while ensuring better coordination between LACA and HAB.
According to him, LACA remains an important structure for coordinating the HIV response at the local government level and must be revitalised to effectively deliver on its mandate.
“Our goal is to revive LACA and build a functional synergy between LACA and HAB. We want a coordinated structure from the state to the LGA, wards and communities, with people who understand their responsibilities and can deliver measurable results,” he said.
Okeke stressed that ANSACA would increasingly assess its grassroots structures based on performance and impact.
“We reward value; we don’t reward titles and positions. Every responsibility must translate to results for the people and communities we serve,” he said.
He explained that while ANSACA provides strategic direction and coordination at the state level, effective implementation of HIV programmes ultimately happens within LGAs, wards and communities.
The ANSACA boss also emphasised the need to strengthen the connection between community HIV awareness and the health system, noting that testing must be followed by effective referral, linkage to treatment and continued follow-up.
“When you discover someone who is HIV positive, your responsibility does not end there. You must ensure that the person is linked to care, followed up and supported to remain in care,” he said.
During the interactive session, LACA Managers and HAB Coordinators were encouraged to identify operational challenges affecting their work, with Okeke assuring them that ANSACA would work towards practical solutions to strengthen grassroots implementation.
He said the 1,693 Ward Brigaders, working alongside LACA, HAB and other community structures, would form part of ANSACA’s strategy to expand HIV information and services to communities and strengthen referrals across the state.
Okeke reaffirmed the commitment of ANSACA to building a sustainable, community-driven HIV response in line with the vision of the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, and the state’s goal of achieving zero new HIV infections by 2030.
He noted that the success of the HIV response would ultimately be measured by its impact at the grassroots—how many people are reached with accurate information, how many know their HIV status, and how effectively those who test positive are linked to and retained in care.
