LAGOS STRENGTHENS PARTNERSHIP WITH ECEWS TO EXPAND HIV TESTING SERVICES IN HARD-TO-REACH COMMUNITIES
The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening partnerships with relevant stakeholders to expand access to HIV testing and other essential HIV services, particularly in hard-to-reach and underserved communities across the State.
The Chief Executive Officer of LSACA, Dr. Folakemi Animashaun, stated this on Thursday, September 3, 2026, when she received a courtesy visit from the Excellence, Community Welfare Scheme (ECEWS) at the Agency’s conference room.
The meeting provided an opportunity for both organisations to explore areas of collaboration, particularly strategies for scaling up HIV testing services in hard-to-reach communities and identifying underserved locations where residents may face barriers to accessing HIV prevention, testing and treatment services.
Speaking on the purpose of the visit, the Team Lead of ECEWS, Dr. Idayat Uthman, said the engagement was aimed at exploring opportunities for collaboration with LSACA to improve the reach and uptake of HIV testing services across Lagos State.
Dr. Uthman explained that ECEWS was particularly interested in working with the Agency to identify hard-to-reach communities and develop practical strategies to ensure that people living in such areas are not left behind in accessing HIV testing and other essential services.
She noted that strategic partnerships with LSACA would be critical to identifying gaps in service delivery and developing effective approaches to reaching underserved populations across the State. She also requested the support of the Agency with HIV test kits to facilitate increased testing activities within communities and hard-to-reach areas.
Responding, Dr. Animashaun welcomed the ECEWS team and reiterated LSACA’s commitment to productive partnerships with relevant stakeholders towards strengthening the prevention, management and control of HIV in Lagos State.
She emphasised the importance of strengthening the HIV response at the community level, noting that reaching people where they live and ensuring that no community is left behind remain key priorities of the Agency’s interventions.
The LSACA CEO further reiterated the Agency’s commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to expand the reach of HIV services, improve access to testing and treatment, and accelerate progress towards achieving the State’s HIV targets.
Also present at the meeting were members of the ECEWS team, including Dr. John-Paul Mbah and Dr. Ohazuike Chidumga, as well as members of the LSACA team, including the Director of Projects, Mr. Michael Essien; Deputy Director, Projects, Dr. Omolola Sule; Deputy Director, Administration and Human Resources, Mrs. Olajumoke Idowu; Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mrs. Adekunbi Bakare; Deputy Director, Finance and Accounts, Mrs. Omolola Sanni, among other members of the Agency’s team.
The engagement ended with both organisations expressing their commitment to sustained collaboration, coordinated interventions and stronger community-level efforts to ensure that more residents of Lagos State have access to accessible, quality and community-focused HIV services.
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