NEMA, NACA strengthen partnership for disaster, public health management
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) have committed to a strengthened institutional partnership aimed at enhancing Nigeria's capacity for coordinated disaster response and integrated public health management.
This renewed collaboration seeks to integrate critical health interventions, particularly regarding HIV/AIDS control, directly into the national disaster management framework. The goal is to ensure more effective prevention, preparedness, and humanitarian support for vulnerable populations across the country, especially those affected by emergencies.
The assurance was given by the Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, when she hosted the Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, and her management team during a strategic courtesy visit to the NEMA Headquarters in Abuja.
Mrs. Umar commended NACA’s commitment to addressing HIV/AIDS, describing the visit as both timely and strategic.
She noted that both agencies share similar national coordination mandates, which makes their collaboration vital for strengthening community resilience, enhancing awareness, and improving local interventions.
"We are both coordinating agencies. NACA focuses on HIV/AIDS, while NEMA coordinates disaster management. The link between health crises and disaster management is undeniable, and this partnership will help us respond better to vulnerable populations," Mrs. Umar stated.
The NEMA DG emphasized the importance of joint efforts in prevention and data sharing, especially in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and other humanitarian settings where public health challenges are often heightened.
She referenced the theme of the current International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, which emphasizes investing in prevention over reaction.
Mrs. Umar expressed keen interest in integrating HIV prevention materials into NEMA’s humanitarian kits and awareness campaigns, ensuring that long-term IDP camps benefit from improved, stigma-free access to resources and awareness programmes.
Furthermore, she welcomed NACA's proposal for joint training and capacity-building for staff and emergency responders. This specialized training is expected to enhance sensitivity and competence when dealing with persons living with HIV during crises.
"We have offices across the country and are open to hosting joint training programmes that will help build capacity and strengthen our humanitarian response,” she added.
Earlier, the Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, commended NEMA's leadership and explained that the visit’s purpose was to ensure that HIV/AIDS considerations are fully integrated into disaster management frameworks.
Dr. Ilori highlighted that with an estimated two million Nigerians currently living with HIV, partnerships with agencies like NEMA are crucial to ensuring that vulnerable populations, including those in disaster-prone areas and displacement camps, are not marginalized.
She stressed the importance of community outreach, preventive health education, and data-driven planning to reduce transmission and support affected persons.
The NACA DG affirmed the agency’s readiness to work closely with NEMA in areas such as awareness creation, distribution of preventive materials, and the integration of health protection strategies into all emergency response operations.
Directors from both agencies who spoke during the meeting uniformly stressed the need for more structured inter-agency cooperation, training exchanges, and harmonized community-level interventions.
The meeting concluded with a symbolic exchange of souvenirs and group photographs, signifying the start of a robust and vital partnership between the two national coordinating bodies.