Eight countries – six of them in Africa, including Nigeria, Kenya and Lesotho – could soon run out of HIV drugs following the US government’s recent decision to pause foreign aid, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

US President Donald Trump announced the freeze on his first day in office in January as part of a review into government spending.

“Disruptions to HIV programmes could undo 20 years of progress,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO chief warned.

It could also lead to more than 10 million additional cases of HIV and three million HIV-related deaths, he added, noting this was “more than triple the number of deaths last year”.

Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Mali – as well as Haiti and Ukraine – would run out of live-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines in the coming months, Dr Tedros said at a press conference on Monday.

Trump’s executive order paused foreign aid support for an initial duration of 90 days in line with his “America First” foreign policy.

It has affected health programmes around the world, leaving shipments of critical medical supplies, including HIV drugs, greatly hampered.

The majority of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) programmes have since been terminated.

Despite a waiver issued in February for the US’s ground-breaking HIV programme, its work has severely impacted.

Known as the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), it relies on logistical support from USAID and other organisations hit by the turmoil.

It has led to the “immediate stop to services for HIV treatment, testing and prevention in more than 50 countries”, Dr Tedros said.

Launched in 2003, Pepfar has enabled some of the world’s poorest people to access anti and has been credited with saving more than 26 million lives worldwide.

During his first days in office, Trump also announced that the US would pull out of the WHO, affecting funding for the global health agency.

“The US administration has been extremely generous over many years. And of course, it’s within its rights to decide what it supports and to what extent,” Dr Tedros said.

“But the US also has a responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries, it’s done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding.

An estimated 25 million people are living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, which is more than two-thirds of the global total 38 million people living with the disease.

In Nigeria, nearly two million people are living with HIV, with many relying on receiving aid-funded medicines.

Kenya has the seventh-largest number of people living with HIV in the world, at around 1.4 million, according to WHO data.

“We ask the US to reconsider its support for global health, which not only saves lives around the world, it also makes the US safer by preventing outbreaks from spreading internationally,” Dr Tedros said.

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that as of February 28, 2025, the number of Nigerians enrolled in the National Identification Number (NIN) database has reached 117.3 million.

This marks a significant increase of over seven million registrations since September 2024, when the figure stood at 110 million.

Gender and State Distribution

The latest statistics reveal that 56.5% of registered individuals are male, totaling 66.2 million, while 43.5% are female, at 51.07 million.

Among states, Lagos leads with 12.6 million registrations, followed by Kano with 10.2 million and Kaduna with 6.9 million.

This is consistent with the high populations in Lagos and Kano.

Other states with notable enrolment numbers include:

Ogun (4.9 million),

Oyo (4.5 million),

Katsina (4 million).

In contrast,

Bayelsa (758,111),

Ebonyi (990,775),

have the lowest enrolment figures.

The government has been emphasising the need for citizens to link their NIN to access essential services, including social services, financial transactions, and telecommunications.

A well-developed and accessible digital ID system is seen as vital for effective digital governance.

Beyond strengthening security and promoting transparency, this initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of service delivery across the country.

As part of efforts to reform the economy for sustained and inclusive growth, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE has called for a collaborative partnership between NITDA and the MTN Foundation to promote digital literacy and capacity building in Nigeria.

Inuwa made this call during a courtesy visit by MTN Foundation delegation, led by Odunayo Sanya, at the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.

The Director-General emphasised the importance of synergy in fostering digital literacy and advancing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda of promoting industrialisation to create a dynamic and diverse economic landscape.

He noted that NITDA’s initiative, DL4ALL, aims to achieve 95% digital literacy across the country by the year 2027. “This aligns with the Agency’s strategic pillar of fostering digital literacy and cultivate talents,” he noted.

Inuwa also highlighted NITDA’s dedication to developing a digital literacy framework based on UNESCO and DigiCom standards, adding that the Agency is collaborating with stakeholders to create a three-phase curriculum for primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, with a focus on prioritising skills over certifications.

The MTN Foundation shares similar goals and currently offers online programmes featuring over 4,000 courses, with 2,000 young Nigerians already registered.

Mr. Sanya commended NITDA’s initiatives and invited the Agency to unveil its academy platform on April 17th of this year.

Both organisations have agreed to establish a committee to efficiently achieve their shared objectives. This partnership is expected to drive digital literacy and capacity building in Nigeria, aligning with the country’s national development agenda.