Anambra State has begun efforts to expand entrepreneurship training, business support and credit opportunities for people living with HIV to promote economic inclusion and address socioeconomic challenges associated with the condition.
The initiative followed discussions between the Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) and the Anambra State Small Business Agency (ASBA) on creating practical pathways for qualified people living with HIV to access enterprise development programmes, cooperatives, business clusters and credit facilities.
The engagement, held at the ASBA office in Awka, focused on how existing business development opportunities could be made accessible to eligible members of the HIV community.
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Representing the Executive Director of ANSACA, Dr Nkem Okeke, the agency’s Unit Lead for Grant Writing and Proposal Development, Mr Paschal Igbokwe, identified stigma and discrimination, unemployment and inadequate access to business capital as some of the challenges confronting people living with HIV.
Igbokwe said such socioeconomic difficulties could affect the ability of affected individuals to establish or sustain businesses and adequately provide for their families.
He stressed the need to incorporate economic empowerment into the broader HIV response, alongside prevention, treatment and efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination.
The Acting Managing Director of ASBA, Mr Nonso Emeka, welcomed the initiative and assured ANSACA of the agency’s readiness to support qualified members of the community within its mandate.
Emeka said ASBA provides enterprise and business development support to individuals, business clusters and cooperatives across sectors, including agriculture, tailoring, garment making and shoemaking.
He encouraged people living with HIV who operate functional businesses or possess entrepreneurial skills to form or join viable cooperatives, saying such structures could improve access to business support and available credit opportunities.
The ASBA chief also highlighted entrepreneurship training programmes implemented by the agency and its partners, including the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), covering business development, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
He clarified that ASBA does not provide general grants but offers business facilities and low-interest credit opportunities to eligible individuals, clusters and cooperatives that meet the required conditions.
Emeka assured ANSACA that ASBA would communicate information on upcoming entrepreneurship training programmes and other relevant opportunities, while qualified members of the HIV community would be considered for suitable slots.
Both agencies agreed to sustain communication and strengthen pathways through which eligible people living with HIV can participate in legitimate economic empowerment programmes.
ANSACA described the engagement as an important step towards addressing socioeconomic barriers affecting people living with HIV and improving their capacity to achieve greater economic independence.
The agency said sustainable livelihood opportunities should complement HIV prevention, treatment and stigma-reduction efforts by enabling people living with HIV to build sustainable businesses, support their families and contribute to the development of their communities.
The collaboration emphasises the importance of integrating economic inclusion into broader public-health efforts in Nigeria, particularly in addressing the social and economic factors that can affect the wellbeing and resilience of people living with HIV.
