Global health organization FHI 360 has been honored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the Honor Award for Outstanding Government Partnership and Collaboration, recognizing the organization’s exceptional contributions to strengthening Nigeria’s public health system and advancing HIV epidemic control through close collaboration with government institutions.

The award was presented during the USAID All Partners Meeting held in Abuja, where leading implementing organizations, government agencies, development partners, and public health stakeholders gathered to review progress made under USAID-supported health programs across Nigeria. The recognition places FHI 360 among the organization’s most trusted implementing partners for its sustained commitment to improving healthcare delivery through evidence-based interventions, technical innovation, and strategic partnerships.

In announcing the recognition, FHI 360 stated that the award reflected its unwavering commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s health system through collaborative engagement with federal and state governments. The organization noted that the recognition was awarded for its work under the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project, which supports the Government of Nigeria in accelerating HIV epidemic control, strengthening surveillance systems, improving treatment outcomes, and enhancing health system performance.

The award further recognizes FHI 360’s longstanding leadership in implementing some of the largest and most influential HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis programs funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and USAID. For more than a decade, the organization has partnered with Nigerian health authorities to expand access to HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, viral-load monitoring, tuberculosis services, and laboratory strengthening while building sustainable public health systems capable of maintaining epidemic control.

Among FHI 360’s flagship initiatives is the Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services (SIDHAS) project, which operated across all 36 Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory before concentrating efforts in high-burden states to maximize epidemic-control outcomes. Through SIDHAS, FHI 360 strengthened laboratory systems, improved HIV and tuberculosis service integration, expanded access to comprehensive treatment services, enhanced viral-load monitoring, and supported government stewardship of HIV programs nationwide.

Building upon the success of SIDHAS, FHI 360 subsequently led the Strategic HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Response Program Task Order 2 (SHARP TO2), another major USAID- and PEPFAR-funded initiative designed to improve HIV case identification, increase treatment coverage, achieve sustained viral suppression, strengthen tuberculosis services, and enhance government ownership of HIV programming. The project emphasizes evidence-based interventions, health systems strengthening, laboratory capacity development, operational excellence, and sustainable transfer of expertise to Nigerian institutions responsible for maintaining epidemic control.

A critical component of FHI 360’s implementation strategy has been its collaboration with highly respected indigenous organizations. One of its principal implementation partners is the Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative (AHNi), which provides state-level technical leadership, operational support, laboratory systems strengthening, capacity building, disease surveillance, and implementation of HIV services across multiple states. Together, FHI 360 and AHNi have played a central role in supporting Nigeria’s progress toward the global UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by improving HIV diagnosis, treatment retention, laboratory quality management, and viral-load monitoring.

The USAID Honor Award highlights not only FHI 360’s technical excellence but also its reputation as a trusted development partner capable of working effectively alongside government institutions to deliver measurable public health outcomes. By recognizing Outstanding Government Partnership and Collaboration, USAID acknowledged FHI 360’s ability to translate scientific expertise, operational innovation, and strategic partnerships into sustainable improvements in healthcare delivery and HIV epidemic control.

The recognition further reinforces FHI 360’s international reputation as one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving global health. Through decades of partnership with governments, international donors, research institutions, and local implementing organizations, FHI 360 has established itself as a leader in HIV/AIDS programming, infectious disease control, laboratory strengthening, health systems development, epidemiologic surveillance, and implementation science. The USAID Honor Award serves as independent confirmation of the organization’s distinguished standing and the national significance of the programs it leads in collaboration with the Government of Nigeria.