The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has launched a new media project to improve reporting on HIV and tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria.
The HIV and TB Media Reporting Project, “Amplify the Response,” will run for two months, from September to October 2026. The project will support journalists in seven states: Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Kogi and Nasarawa.
AHF says the programme will help journalists produce accurate, ethical and people focused stories about HIV and TB.
At least seven journalists will take part in the first edition where each journalist will produce two in-depth feature or investigative stories during the program.
AHF wants the media to play a stronger role in Nigeria’s HIV and TB response.
The organization says journalists can help the public understand the challenges people face when they seek HIV and TB services.
The project will also encourage reporters to look beyond health statistics. Journalists will examine access to testing, treatment and care. They will also report on stigma, health funding and the role of communities in the HIV and TB response.
AHF wants journalists to tell these stories with care. The project will promote the use of respectful and accurate language when reporting on people living with HIV and TB survivors.
For AHF, the project is not only about reporting numbers, it aims to put the experiences of patients and communities at the centre of health reporting.
Journalists will have the chance to investigate how HIV and TB affect people’s daily lives. They can also examine the barriers that prevent people from getting care.
These may include stigma, misinformation, limited access to health services and gaps in funding.
The project will also encourage solutions focused reporting meaning that journalists can highlight what health workers, communities, governments and other organisations are doing to address these problems.
Nigeria has made progress in the fight against HIV and TB, however, major challenges remain. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 41 million people were living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2025. WHO also estimates that 10.7 million people developed TB in 2024. TB caused about 1.23 million deaths during the same year.
Nigeria remains one of the countries with a high TB burden. The country has also made progress in finding people with TB. WHO reported that Nigeria notified 458,534 TB cases in 2025 and better reporting can help keep these issues in the public eye.
AHF believes journalists can help improve the HIV and TB response through strong and responsible reporting, instead of focusing only on disease figures, journalists can ask important questions.
Are patients getting the treatment they need? Are health budgets reaching the people who need them? What prevents people from seeking HIV and TB services? How does stigma affect people living with HIV? What solutions are working in local communities? These questions can help reporters produce stories that inform the public and hold decision makers to account.
Journalists interested in the project have until August 31, 2026, to apply. AHF plans to announce the selected journalists on September 14, 2026.
The organization will give strong consideration to applicants’ story pitches with work samples, journalism experience, gender diversity and editor support as this will also form part of the selection process.
The project comes as Nigeria continues to strengthen its response to HIV and TB and for journalists, it offers an opportunity to tell stories that go beyond statistics, it is also a chance to give communities a stronger voice, challenge stigma and draw attention to gaps in health services.
Ultimately, the quality of HIV and TB reporting matters.
