Controlling the HIV epidemic depends on shifting from fragmented, donor-led programmes to nationally led, integrated health systems. To accompany a new joint Series of six papers, Peter Hayward, Editor-in-chief of The Lancet HIV, and Gavin Cleaver, Senior Editor at The Lancet Global Health, are joined in conversation by Solange Baptiste, Kenneth Ngure, and Charles Holmes, who worked extensively on the Series.

Together they discuss withstanding external funding shocks, meaningful community involvement, and focusing on health equity, as part of a sustainable approach to HIV prevention in Africa.