The Federal Government has commenced moves to introduce a new malaria prevention programme for children under the age of two, following a significant decline in the country’s malaria prevalence from 42 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2025.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention Dissemination Meeting, where he announced plans to begin policy processes for the large-scale introduction of Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention, a preventive treatment targeting children living in areas with year-round malaria transmission.
Salako said the intervention, piloted through the National Malaria Elimination Programme since 2023, was designed to generate evidence for national adoption, particularly in states that do not qualify for Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention.
According to him, the programme aligns with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations for malaria-endemic countries to strengthen preventive measures alongside vector control, prompt diagnosis, treatment and surveillance.
The minister directed the Department of Public Health and the National Malaria Elimination Programme to commence the necessary policy processes for the nationwide rollout of the intervention while carrying out further assessments of its cost-effectiveness to ensure sustainable implementation.
He said the initiative would help close the gap in malaria prevention by extending effective chemoprevention to children in southern states where malaria transmission occurs throughout the year, unlike the northern states that already benefit from Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention.
Highlighting progress in the fight against malaria, Salako said findings from the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey showed that malaria prevalence had dropped from 42 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2025, attributing the improvement to sustained government interventions and strong collaboration with development partners.
Despite the gains, he noted that Nigeria still accounts for 24.3 per cent of global malaria cases and 30.3 per cent of malaria-related deaths, stressing the need for intensified efforts to eliminate the disease.
“The evidence generated from the Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention implementation research will support informed decision-making on adopting the intervention as part of a targeted sub-national strategy, particularly in southern states where malaria transmission occurs throughout the year,” Salako said.
He added that the Federal Government would continue implementing the National Malaria Strategic Plan (2026–2030), strengthen health systems, integrate malaria services and optimise available resources to improve health outcomes.
The minister reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to malaria elimination under the Renewed Hope Agenda and urged stakeholders to translate the findings of the implementation research into concrete actions capable of accelerating progress towards a malaria-free Nigeria.
Salako also commended the research teams, the Gates Foundation, Malaria Consortium, state governments, development partners and frontline health workers for supporting the successful implementation of the pilot programme, describing the findings as promising and capable of shaping the next phase of Nigeria’s malaria elimination agenda.
