LAGOS, NIGERIA — Lagos State has advanced to a pivotal stage in its campaign to combat malaria, a disease responsible for 200,000 deaths annually in Nigeria.
The state has become the first sub-national entity in the country to launch the Pathway to Malaria Pre-Elimination and Digitisation Programme, an initiative leveraging digital innovation and strengthened public-private partnerships to reduce the malaria burden.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu unveiled the tech-driven health initiative, supported by the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), Maisha Meds, and other multilateral partners.
The programme aims to enhance diagnostic accuracy, improve case management, and connect patients to social health insurance schemes.
It also marks Lagos as the first state to adopt a digitised system for malaria prevention, as the World Bank-funded Immunization Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) project nears its conclusion in December 2025.
Despite having Nigeria’s lowest malaria burden at 2.6 per cent, Lagos records 900,000 cases annually, necessitating a more strategic response to sustain its rollback. Sanwo-Olu described malaria as a “socio-economic burden” that drains household incomes and hampers community productivity.
“For many households with modest incomes in Lagos, malaria treatment can consume up to three per cent of monthly earnings,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“This financial strain often forces families to make heartbreaking choices between healthcare and other basic needs like food or education. Today, we are changing this narrative by leveraging digital tools that will ensure that malaria cases are tracked in real time.”
Sanwo-Olu emphasised that the programme’s success would not only enhance healthcare outcomes but also significantly boost productivity and education in the state.
He highlighted that malaria eradication was both a health goal and an economic imperative for Lagos.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Isiak Salako, praised Lagos for having the most comprehensive implementation strategy against malaria among sub-national entities in Nigeria.
He reassured that recent funding policy changes by the United States government for global healthcare would not impede Nigeria’s progress in combating malaria.
Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, noted that malaria prevalence in the state had dropped significantly from 15 per cent in 2010 to the current 2.6 per cent due to improved diagnostics, immunisation, and treatment efforts.
However, malaria remains a major public health issue, with over 50 per cent of outpatient visits at public health facilities related to febrile illnesses presumed to be malaria.
“Due to intense programmatic work, malaria prevalence in Lagos has declined significantly,” Abayomi said. “With strong political will and innovative infrastructural transformation, Lagos is pushing forward with its responses against malaria elimination.”
The state’s comprehensive strategy includes digital interventions, health financing through insurance, and a robust partnership network encompassing donors and the private sector.
Monthly tracking will be essential to ensure consistent monitoring of progress, Sanwo-Olu stated, urging all stakeholders to collaborate to make the initiative a success.
“This vision is ambitious but achievable,” he added. “Success will not come overnight, but with sustained effort and collective action, we will prevail.”
