The federal government has announced that Nigeria reduced malaria prevalence from 42 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2025, describing the achievement as a major milestone in the country’s fight against the disease.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this in Abuja during the national dissemination of the findings of the Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC) Implementation Research.
Salako said the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey reflected significant progress over the past 15 years, attributing the decline to sustained investments by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, development partners and other stakeholders.
According to him, interventions such as vector control, improved diagnosis and treatment, enhanced disease surveillance, preventive programmes and the successful implementation of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in northern Nigeria have contributed significantly to the progress.
Despite the gains, the minister noted that Nigeria still accounts for about 24.3 per cent of the global malaria burden, underscoring the need for additional evidence-based interventions to accelerate malaria elimination.
He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to implementing the Nigeria Malaria Strategic Plan (2026–2030), strengthening healthcare delivery through integrated services and mobilising resources to sustain progress.
“The adoption of Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention is among the bold steps we are prepared to take based on the evidence presented today,” Salako said.
He explained that the PMC implementation research began in 2023 after the intervention was incorporated into the National Malaria Strategic Plan (2021–2025). The study was designed to generate evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of protecting children under 24 months living in areas with year-round malaria transmission.
Salako noted that the intervention, formerly known as Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Infants (IPTi), targets states not eligible for Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention and aligns with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations for malaria-endemic countries.
“The findings presented today will be vital in shaping how we adopt this intervention within our local context. They provide the evidence needed to guide policy and strengthen our malaria elimination efforts,” he said.
The minister directed the Director of Public Health and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) to begin developing the policy framework for introducing PMC in eligible states.
He also stressed the need to assess the intervention’s cost-effectiveness to ensure its long-term sustainability.
Salako commended the Gates Foundation, Malaria Consortium, the federal and state governments, development partners and frontline health workers for supporting the research and Nigeria’s malaria control efforts.
He reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening disease control programmes and improving public health, describing malaria elimination as a national priority.
In his remarks, Country Director of Malaria Consortium Nigeria, Mr Kolawole Maxwell, represented by Dr Shola Orasanya, described the dissemination meeting as another milestone in Nigeria’s commitment to evidence-based innovation in malaria prevention.
He said the organisation had worked with the Nigerian government for more than 24 years to strengthen health systems, improve access to quality healthcare and deliver life-saving interventions.
According to him, Malaria Consortium currently supports the federal government and 23 states in implementing programmes that protect millions of Nigerians from malaria and other preventable diseases.
“Our work has always been guided by a simple principle: every child deserves the opportunity to survive and thrive free from diseases that we know how to prevent,” he said.
Maxwell noted that despite progress over the past two decades, malaria remains one of the leading threats to child survival in Nigeria, with children under five bearing the greatest burden.
He explained that Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention, recommended by the World Health Organisation, provides preventive antimalarial medicines to children during routine immunisation and child health contacts within their first two years of life.
According to him, integrating malaria prevention into existing primary healthcare platforms offers an efficient and sustainable approach to protecting children during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.
He said the implementation research, conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Malaria Elimination Programme, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Osun State Government, researchers, health workers and community leaders, generated valuable evidence on the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of delivering PMC through Nigeria’s health system.
Maxwell said the findings would guide future policy decisions and strengthen malaria prevention, particularly in areas with perennial transmission.
Also speaking, Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Adams Oshiomhole, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s malaria elimination agenda through strong partnerships, national leadership and local ownership.
He expressed confidence that the deliberations would provide valuable insights for implementation strategies and policy decisions to strengthen the country’s malaria elimination programme.
Earlier, National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr Nnenna Ogbulafor, said the meeting was convened to present the findings of the PMC implementation research conducted in Osun State and obtain stakeholders’ input on the intervention.
She said the participation of representatives from eligible southern states, traditional institutions and other stakeholders would help build consensus if the intervention receives final government approval.
Ogbulafor noted that while Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention has recorded significant success in northern Nigeria, Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention offers a similar opportunity to protect children under five in southern states where malaria transmission occurs throughout the year.
She added that the meeting would also develop recommendations for scaling up the intervention based on the research findings and support evidence-based decisions on expanding PMC to other eligible states.
We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join THISTIMES on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →
Join Our WhatsApp Channel
