Experts Push for Youth-Led HIV Fight

African health experts and researchers are sounding a clear alarm: the battle against HIV cannot be won if the very people most affected are left out of the decision-making room.

At a continental consortium convened by the National Institutes of Health, leaders from across Africa gathered to demand a radical shift toward youth-centered interventions.

The message from the forum was uncompromising to achieve an AIDS-free generation, young people must transition from being mere “beneficiaries” of health programs to becoming the primary architects of prevention and care strategies.

Professor Juliette Iwelunmor, a co-chair of the consortium from Washington University, emphasized that the era of designing programs “for” youth without their input must end.

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She noted that while medical science has produced groundbreaking tools such as long-acting lenacapavir and self-testing kits low testing rates among adolescents remain a stubborn barrier.

“Nothing we are doing when it comes to HIV should be done without young people leading the way,” she insisted, pointing out that youth advocates at the meeting are already proposing innovative ways to scale up access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and other emerging technologies.

The urgency of this call is underscored by a worrying rise in new infections among young Nigerians. Representing the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Temitokwe Ilori warned that current trends show the youth population is increasingly at risk, making early engagement a matter of national security.

In Lagos, the situation is being met with intensified efforts in schools and tertiary institutions. Dr. Folakemi Animashaun, CEO of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, revealed that the state has approved the procurement of antiretroviral drugs to boost treatment access by 2026, but she stressed that prevention remains the most effective weapon.

Ultimately, the consortium highlighted that tools like condoms and testing kits are only effective if the health system is responsive to the “lived experiences” of the youth. By working with networks of young people living with HIV and expanding testing for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the goal is to build a healthcare culture rooted in trust rather than stigma.

As the summit concluded, the consensus was clear: the future of Africa’s health depends on a youth-driven response that prioritizes education, regular testing, and the courage to let the next generation lead the charge.