By Stephen Adeleye
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF Nigeria) has called for an end to menstrual stigma and greater access to affordable sanitary products and safe facilities.
Mr Steve Aborisade, Senior Advocacy and Marketing Manager for AHF Nigeria, made the call in a statement on Friday in Lokoja, in commemoration of the World Menstrual Health Day 2026.
Aborisade said the event was aimed at reducing stigma around menstruation and expanding access to safe, clean facilities and affordable sanitary products.
It will bring together 150 students from four Keffi schools, government officials, and health partners to promote menstrual hygiene management and link it to broader HIV and STI prevention efforts.
It will also host government officials from the Nasarawa State Ministries of Women Affairs and Education, alongside the state’s Focal Person on Gender-Based Violence.
AHF Nigeria stressed that protecting menstrual health is a critical step in safeguarding overall health and reducing vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
“Across Africa, too many women and girls still lack access to basic menstrual products and safe facilities, forcing them to miss school, risk their health, or turn to unsafe coping strategies.
“Menstrual health is not a luxury—it is a fundamental part of public health and HIV/STI prevention,” Martin Matabishi, AHF Africa Bureau Chief stated.
It said the Keffi programme would feature a menstrual health expert leading discussions on key issues in menstrual hygiene management, with a focus on product access and the stigma surrounding periods in Nigerian communities.
Boys will also be engaged as allies in menstrual health management.
Each of the 150 expected participants will receive a two-month supply of sanitary towels and additional incentives to support a healthier menstrual experience.
Dr Echey Ijezie, AHF Nigeria Country Programme Director, highlighted the global scale of the challenge, noting that nearly two billion people menstruated worldwide, with 500 million experiencing period poverty.
“These challenges can lead to reliance on transactional relationships or relationships with significant age differences, reducing the ability to negotiate safer sex and raising the risk of HIV and other STIs,” he said.
He applauded countries that have reduced or eliminated taxes on menstrual products and urged Nigeria to follow suit to ensure universal access.
AHF noted that stigma and taboos in many communities prevented open discussion, limited access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information and discouraged people from seeking care.
The organisation argued that addressing menstrual health must go hand in hand with normalising periods and expanding access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services.
“Through its Girls Act empowerment programme, AHF currently runs two chapters in Abuja and Makurdi, Benue. This year, the programme will expand to Akwa Ibom and Nasarawa.
“Governments must remove taxes, invest in access, and break the silence around menstruation to protect health, dignity, and opportunity for all,” Matabishi added. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Chioma Ugboma
