Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said he would sustain the progress so far made in combating HIV and AID in the country.

The Nigerian leader made the remarks Saturday at the Special Session for the 2012 World AIDS Day Commemoration in Abuja, saying that the government had the political will and commitment to do so.

According to him, the government recognizes that HIV is a significant threat to sustainable development and a huge amount of resources will be required to effectively combat the epidemic.

The president told his audience that a Partnership Framework signed with the U.S. government in 2001, would see a significant increase in spending on HIV and AIDS from the current 25 percent to 50 percent in 2015.

He added that the 2012 UN HIV and AIDS Report revealed that much progress had been made globally in the bid to achieve zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS deaths.

President Jonathan said the report also showed the commitment of African leaders to intervene by showing an increase in investments into HIV initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa.