Juliet Iwelunmor, a U.S. Professor of Medicine, said that lack of access to prevention and ongoing stigma make it hard to stop HIV/AIDS among young people.
Iwelunmor, who works at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, U.S., made this known at the 2026 Designation organised by the Innovative Network on the Science and Practice of Implementation, Research and Engagement (INSPIRE).
The event aimed to advance the use of Lenacapavir in youth-focused HIV prevention and care throughout Africa.
Lenacapavir is an antiretroviral medication used to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS.
The World Health Organisation in 2025 recommended the use of injectable lenacapavir twice a year as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention.
She said:” Despite the progress made so far in preventing the transmission and care for HIV patients in Africa, access to these services is a big issue, making it impossible to reach our young people.
” The lack of youth-friendly clinics that could prevent stigma is also a major problem; these centres should be decentralised away from clinics to places where young people can easily go to access preventive care”.
On the programme, Iwelunmor, the Director of INSPIRE, said the designathon was initiated to scale up, adapt, and sustain HIV interventions for adolescents and young adults in Africa through creative ideas.
She said that eight teams, selected across Africa, were participating in the event to chart a new course for HIV/AIDS prevention on the continent.
She added that Lenacapavir was one of the most promising long-acting HIV prevention options. While the science is strong, the pathway for equitable access, acceptability and effective delivery is still emerging in African settings.
“This designathon is dedicated to developing creative ideas on how to scale up and sustain HIV interventions for adolescents and young adults.
“The programme is similar to a hackathon where teams will work together to design and present their solutions to a panel of judges,” she said.
Iwelunmor commended the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and other partners for their support of the programme.
Speaking also, Professor Joe Tucker, a Professor of Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said Nigeria had what it took to lead and help flip the script on HIV prevention.
Tucker said Nigeria should use its many human resources to lower HIV among its large youth population.
He told the government to put more money into research, saying less funding for HIV help is causing more babies to get HIV.
“There is hope because young people are full of energy. But with less funding and uncertainty, we must act more.”
“We see more HIV infections in some places, more babies with HIV, and problems with people staying on treatment.”
“The progress by programs like PEPFAR is at risk. We need more funding and stronger commitment,” he said.
One of the judges at the designathon, Dr Matilda Carey, a Public Health Physician and one of the resource persons, emphasised the importance of youth-driven solutions to end HIV.
Carey noted that such initiatives provide a platform for turning ideas into practical solutions, especially as new medications like lenacapavir create fresh opportunities in HIV prevention.
“We are looking for ideas that are simple, innovative, and easy to integrate into existing systems, and they must resonate with young people and have the potential for sustainability.”
“Nothing about young people without young people. When solutions are designed with the target population involved, the impact is far greater,” she said.
Eight teams participating in the events are Team BioSecure from Nigeria, Team HAIR SALON from South Africa, Peerlen from Tanzania, Safe Six from Uganda, and Team Catalyst from Nigeria.
Others are MyCare from Nigeria, Nexus from Nigeria and Team Reach from Nigeria.
