Oyo State is scaling up efforts to coordinate HIV/AIDS interventions through stronger partnerships between government and civil society groups. The State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OYSACA) hosted a stakeholders' meeting at its conference room, where coordinating director Wale Falana stressed the importance of unified action among Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), and key population networks. He described OYSACA as the legally mandated body responsible for overseeing all HIV-related activities in the state, including the registration and coordination of NGOs and CBOs in line with national guidelines.
Falana emphasized the need to revive coordination platforms to prevent duplication, improve resource use, and strengthen community-level service delivery. He introduced the OYSACA-CSOs Networks Forum, designed to bring together groups such as NEPWHAN, CISHAN, the National Youth Network on HIV/AIDS (NYNETHA), faith-based organisations, and key population representatives. The forum, chaired by OYSACA's Partnership Coordination Department and supported by the agency as secretariat, will meet quarterly, with emergency sessions when needed.
Its responsibilities include reviewing work plans, identifying capacity gaps, offering technical guidance, and ensuring information from bodies like the State Council on AIDS is shared widely. Falana urged members to relay decisions to their constituencies to maintain transparency. Representatives from NEPWHAN, ASWHAN, CISHAN, and other groups updated the agency on their ongoing HIV interventions across the state.
