FG Unveils New Malaria Elimination Plan As Nigeria Targets 50% Reduction By 2030
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
For a country where malaria has long remained one of the deadliest public health threats, cutting infections is no longer just a health goal, it is an economic and national survival strategy.
The Federal Government has launched a new National Malaria Strategic Plan (2026-2030) aimed at reducing malaria parasite prevalence and deaths by 50 per cent from 2025 levels, as part of intensified efforts to eliminate the disease across Nigeria.
Speaking during the 2026 World Malaria Day commemoration in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said malaria prevalence in Nigeria had dropped significantly from 42 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2025.
He described the new strategic plan as a robust and proactive framework aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that malaria elimination remains a national priority.
According to him, the plan is built on subnational tailoring, ensuring interventions reflect the realities of individual states and communities, while aligning with Nigeria’s Health Sector Strategic Blueprint and the World Health Organisation’s Global Technical Strategy.
Salako disclosed that over 500 million insecticide-treated nets have been distributed since 2015, with access set to expand this year to 11 states, including Akwa Ibom, Kebbi, Borno, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Abia, FCT, Kogi, Osun, Kwara, and Adamawa.
He added that Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention would be implemented across 21 eligible states, targeting about 29 million children under five with preventive medicines, one of the largest child-focused malaria prevention efforts in Africa.
The minister also revealed that Nigeria has advanced plans to pilot Larval Source Management for the first time in six states, Abia, Borno, Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, and Rivers, to tackle mosquito breeding sites directly.
On vaccination, he said the phased malaria vaccine rollout, which began in December 2024 in Kebbi and Bayelsa, has now been extended to Bauchi and Ondo, with more than 700,000 children aged between five and 23 months already benefiting.
Meanwhile, Senator Ned Nwoko, represented at the event, disclosed that a new agency focused on eliminating mosquitoes and malaria would soon be established, noting that the bill had passed several legislative stages.
The World Health Organisation also reaffirmed its support, stressing that with sustained investment, innovation, and leadership, malaria elimination in Nigeria is achievable.
Officials say ending malaria will require a whole-of-society approach involving governments, health workers, civil society, donors, faith groups, researchers, and the media.
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