The Federal Government has disclosed that it is making measurable progress against malaria, with prevalence falling from 42% in 2011 to 15% between 2021 and 2024.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this while speaking to journalists at the “Science of Defeating Malaria” international meeting in Abuja on Monday.
The 2026 summit is jointly organized by Harvard University, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, the National Malaria Elimination Programme, and other African partners with over 65 participants from 39 countries are attending.
Dr. Pate said the decline is driven by Nigeria’s health sector renewal plan under President Bola Tinubu stressing that key moves include expanding primary healthcare, rolling out health insurance to improve affordability, training frontline workers, and boosting local manufacturing.
The Minister revealed that a major bed net factory has broken ground, and a test kit manufacturer is set to break ground this week.
“The malaria indicator survey has shown that data very clearly. So it’s not about opinion… Nigeria is making progress,” Pate said. He added that Nigeria now uses “subnational tailoring” – different strategies for different states based on data. Lagos is cited as being in “pre-elimination” due to strong case management and testing.
He stressed that the new malaria vaccine is only one layer. It works best alongside bed nets, seasonal chemoprevention, prompt testing and treatment, and other interventions. The vaccine currently targets children under age 2.
Pate noted that the Data showcasing is not opinion which shows Nigeria’s malaria burden is dropping. The government is doubling down on tailored state-level strategies, local manufacturing, and layering vaccines with existing tools to push prevalence below 10%.
Professor Christian Happy, distinguished professor of molecular biology and genomics at Redeemer’s University and director of the Institute of Genomics and Global Health, said the 2026 course focuses on “subnational tailoring and education” with strong input from Nigerian health authorities.
Happy noted Nigeria moved from 22% prevalence to 15% in the last 3 years. If the current 8% drop trend continues, Nigeria could hit single-digit prevalence soon.
There’s no fixed year yet for elimination, he said. The goal now is to move Nigeria from “high to moderate” transmission, then to “low transmission” and pre-elimination. He emphasized this must be done with other African countries, since cross-border movement can reintroduce malaria. With coordinated action, he believes malaria eradication in 15-20 years is realistic.
