Africa At A Turning Point: WHO Warns Of A New Threat To HIV Progress
Africa stands at a defining moment in the fight against HIV, a moment where decades of hard-won progress could either be protected or quietly unravel.
This was the sobering message from the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, as the world marked World AIDS Day 2025.
For 25 years, countries across the continent have pushed HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths to their lowest levels in decades.
Clinics that once overflowed with patients now deliver seamless, community-led care.
In places like Botswana, where mother-to-child transmission has been almost eliminated, hope feels tangible.
But beneath the surface, a new tension is rising.
International HIV funding, once the backbone of Africa’s response, is shrinking. For many health systems still fighting to stay afloat, this threatens to roll back progress that cost millions of lives to win.
Dr Janabi warns that the continent now faces “an unprecedented HIV funding landscape” capable of disrupting even the strongest health programmes.
Yet in this uncertainty, a quiet revolution is unfolding.
Across Africa, governments are embedding HIV services directly into primary healthcare, a move that promises a more resilient, self-reliant system.
New medical innovations, including long-acting prevention medicines like Lenacapavir, are offering renewed hope.
“Only two injections a year can change a life,” Janabi noted, praising South Africa for becoming the first African country to license the drug.
But even science is under siege.
With misinformation spreading faster than facts, WHO cautions that false narratives can be as deadly as disrupted treatment.
During recent crises, it was young people, using WhatsApp, local radio and community platforms, who stepped in to keep trust alive and ensure patients stuck to treatment.
The evidence is clear:
Since 2010, the African Region has cut new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths by more than half.
Today, 21.7 million people are on lifesaving treatment. Countries such as Namibia, Chad and Cameroon are reaching historic milestones in protecting children and adolescents from HIV.
Still, Dr Janabi insists the work is far from over.
He is calling on governments to increase domestic funding, strengthen health systems, fight stigma and misinformation, and protect the rights of those most at risk, especially adolescent girls, young women and key populations.
In his closing words, he reminded the continent of an African proverb that feels more urgent than ever:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
On this World AIDS Day, Africa stands not at the end of a journey, but at the edge of a critical choice, to go the distance, together, and end AIDS for good.
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