By Atoyebi Nike
Nigeria’s efforts to develop an HIV vaccine have slowed following the suspension of U.S. government funding, the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has disclosed.
Alash’le Abimiku, executive director of the International Centre of Excellence at IHVN, said the withdrawal of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) support under the Trump administration disrupted ongoing trials. “I’m afraid the HIV vaccine research has developed a K-leg because of the funding,” she noted at a press briefing in Abuja.
Abimiku explained that Nigerian strains of the virus differ from those in South Africa and Kenya, making local sequencing vital to ensure inclusion in global vaccine development. Despite setbacks, researchers have continued collaborating with partners across Africa to safeguard Nigeria’s place in trials.
IHVN leaders, including CEO Patrick Dakum, warned that Nigeria risks exclusion without stronger federal support. Dakum urged the government to dedicate at least 20% of health funding to research, stressing that dependence on foreign donors is unsustainable as international funding shrinks.
The disclosures came ahead of IHVN’s upcoming scientific symposium themed “Combating Viral Threats through Public Health Response and Research,” which will focus on lessons from COVID-19 and other outbreaks like cholera, diphtheria, and Lassa fever.
