Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
ABUJA, Nigeria – AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has opened youth-centred Wellness Centres in Abuja and Benue to expand access to STI prevention, testing and treatment amid rising infections among adolescents and young people.
The Country Programme Director, Dr Echey Ijezie, disclosed this during a media engagement ahead of the 2025 World AIDS Day commemoration on Friday. He said the centres were designed to provide safe, youth-friendly spaces offering counselling, sexual-health services and early treatment.
Ijezie said AHF is partnering with Nasarawa State University to widen access for students as part of broader HIV prevention campaigns. He added that free HIV testing, sensitisation exercises and condom distribution would feature prominently during World AIDS Day activities.
Despite decades of progress, he warned that 1.3 million new HIV infections occur globally each year, with about 40 million people still living with the virus. Persistent stigma and barriers to care, he said, continue to derail public-health gains.
AHF Africa Bureau Chief Martin Matabishi said rising infections among adolescents and young women show the AIDS fight is far from over, urging inclusive health policies and community-led approaches.
AHF Opens Youth Wellness Centres to Tackle Rising STI Infections
Meanwhile, NACA’s Director-General, Dr Temitope Ilori, said Nigeria is on track to meet two of the three UNAIDS 95-95-95 global targets by 2030, reflecting significant progress in testing, treatment and viral suppression.
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Oluwafunbi Bello 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Koko Maxwella 
Hussaini Ibrahim