The Federal Government has urged African leaders to take full ownership of the fight against malaria, cautioning that dependence on external financing and fragmented interventions will continue to undermine progress against the disease that kills nearly 600,000 people globally every year.
Speaking at the Harnessing Africa’s Central Role Against Malaria – Big Push meeting in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, said it was time Africa reframed malaria as an African problem that must be solved through domestic investment and decisive local action.
“Malaria is not someone else’s problem; it is our problem. Ninety percent of the global burden is here in Africa. Unless we own it, fund it, and act decisively, we will be back here next year and the year after, repeating the same conversations,” Pate told delegates drawn from governments, civil society, development partners, and the private sector.
Despite Nigeria running malaria control programmes for nearly eight decades, the country still bears one-third of the global malaria burden. Pate attributed this to a long-standing reliance on external solutions at the expense of domestic investment in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. He lamented that while external financing has grown over the past 25 years, domestic funding has shrunk, warning that Nigeria cannot continue outsourcing solutions to Geneva or Washington. “We must design strategies that reflect our realities in Sokoto, Bayelsa, Lagos, and elsewhere in Nigeria,” he stressed.
The minister highlighted Nigeria’s new efforts to localise malaria control, including the establishment of diagnostic kit manufacturing plants capable of producing hundreds of millions of test kits annually, ongoing plans for the world’s largest mosquito bed net manufacturer to establish operations in Nigeria, and the integration of malaria case management into primary healthcare services. Local pharmaceutical companies are now supplying artemisinin-based therapies under Global Fund procurement, a development Pate said was both a public health and economic opportunity.
He also pointed to reforms aimed at expanding Nigeria’s fiscal space, including new tax measures that could channel domestic resources into health. He stressed that malaria should not be addressed in isolation but within the broader framework of health system strengthening, noting that nearly one-third of hospital visits in Nigeria are due to malaria or its complications.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, reinforced the urgency of action, describing malaria as both “preventable and treatable” yet still a leading cause of illness and death in Africa. Citing World Health Organization data, Salako noted that 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths were recorded globally in 2023, with Africa accounting for 94 percent of cases and 95 percent of deaths. He called for a “big push” that would expand access to preventive tools, affordable diagnosis, treatment, and innovative solutions to tackle new challenges such as insecticide resistance and climate change.
Salako further warned that humanitarian crises, including conflicts and natural disasters, are worsening the spread of malaria, while climate-induced floods and droughts are creating new breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Both ministers agreed that eliminating malaria will require sustained collaboration across governments, the private sector, NGOs, and communities, along with increased investment in research, vaccines, environmental control measures, and grassroots sensitisation.
“Countries that have eliminated malaria had to persevere, innovate, and invest consistently. Nigeria and Africa must do the same. With leadership, collaboration, and ownership, a malaria-free future is possible,” Salako said.
While acknowledging the continued role of global partners such as the Global Fund, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, and the Gates Foundation, Pate insisted that Africa must transition from dependency to true ownership. “We deeply appreciate our partners, but ultimately, this is our fight. Malaria is an African problem. It will only end when we treat it as such and put our own skin in the game,” he stated.
The Abuja meeting, hosted by the Federal Government in partnership with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM), the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), brought together leaders and stakeholders to strengthen political commitment and align continental strategies towards malaria elimination by 2030.
The two-day conference is expected to produce a continental roadmap to accelerate eradication efforts, mobilise domestic financing, and reinforce Africa’s central role in shaping global malaria strategies.
Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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