The Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) has introduced a campus-based HIV intervention programme in 27 tertiary institutions across the state to strengthen prevention, awareness and support services for young people.

The initiative, known as the Campus Action Committee on AIDS (CACA), brings together members of school authorities and students to coordinate HIV-related activities within participating institutions.

The programme was unveiled in Awka on Sunday during the inauguration of HIV focal persons selected from the 27 institutions.

Speaking at the event, ANSACA Executive Director and Project Manager, Dr Nkem Okeke, said the agency would train and formally inaugurate the campus committees to ensure that their activities meet professional and ethical requirements.

Okeke said the agency was expanding its engagement with tertiary institutions as part of efforts to strengthen HIV prevention, awareness and control among adolescents and young adults.

She explained that each campus committee would include a lecturer representing the institution’s management and a student representative, while the broader committees would comprise students drawn from different departments and academic levels.

According to her, the participating institutions include universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, colleges of nursing and schools of nursing across government, private and mission-owned establishments.

Okeke said the campus committees would provide an additional layer to the state’s HIV response structure, complementing existing interventions at the national, state, local government and ward levels.

She also acknowledged the support of the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, saying the government’s renewed commitment to HIV prevention and control had enabled ANSACA to expand its interventions across the state.

Following the inauguration of the focal persons, the agency is expected to begin the establishment and strengthening of CACA structures in the participating institutions.

The Chairman of the Action Committee on the ANSACA Tertiary Institution HIV Response Programme, Emeka Nwabunwanne, urged the newly inaugurated focal persons to take ownership of the programme and serve as key links between ANSACA and their respective institutions.