By Abiola Olawale
The United States government has halted funding for HIV treatment programs in Nigeria and other developing nations.
The development comes after an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump.
It was gathered that the decision was part of a broader review of foreign aid programs and involved a suspension of funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for at least 90 days.
PEPFAR, which has an annual budget of around $6.5 billion, supports HIV/AIDS treatment for over 20.6 million people worldwide and has been credited with saving an estimated 26 million lives since its inception.
Meanwhile, in a press statement, the US State Department justified this move by stating that the US cannot continue to “blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.”
This suspension could have significant implications for countries like Nigeria, which relies heavily on such programs for access to life-saving medications and support in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
