Health
Malaria prevalence drops to 15.2%, FG targets 50% cut by 2030
Janet Ogundepo
The Federal Government has reported a decline in malaria parasite prevalence among children aged six to 59 months from 22 per cent in 2021 to 15.2 per cent in 2025, setting a target to reduce malaria prevalence and malaria-attributable deaths by 50 per cent by 2030.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, disclosed this at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey Report and the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2026–2030 in Abuja on Thursday.
Pate, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, said the decline marked progress in Nigeria’s malaria response but cautioned that it should not be mistaken for elimination.
He said the 6.8 percentage-point decline reflected the government’s commitment to improving health outcomes under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister cited Kebbi State as an example of progress, noting that malaria prevalence there fell from 49 per cent in 2021 to 18 per cent in 2025.
In a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ado Bako, the Minister said, “The 6.8 percentage-point decline reflects meaningful progress in Nigeria’s malaria response, in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to improving health outcomes under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
The minister also highlighted the use of insecticide-treated nets, saying 72.3 per cent of children and 80.6 per cent of pregnant women in households that owned the nets slept under one.
He stressed the need to strengthen consistent use of the preventive intervention as part of efforts to reduce malaria infections and deaths.
Pate commended the National Malaria Elimination Programme, the National Population Commission and other partners involved in the survey, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening domestic financing, improving surveillance and sustaining a coordinated national response to reduce malaria illness and deaths across the country.
According to the statement, the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2026–2030 is aligned with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and is being advanced through the Sector-Wide Approach, under the principle of “One Plan, One Budget, One Report, One Conversation.”
The plan’s Sub-National Tailoring approach will direct interventions towards areas with a high malaria burden, based on local epidemiological evidence.
The Director-General of the National Population Commission, Dr Abuh Muhammed, said the survey demonstrated the value of collaboration between the National Malaria Elimination Programme and the commission.
He said the partnership combined technical expertise in malaria control with the commission’s survey infrastructure and field operations.
Muhammed reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to evidence-based planning and urged policymakers and partners to use the findings to direct resources to areas where they were most needed.
The minister called on state governments to take ownership of their survey findings, align malaria plans and budgets with identified needs, and ensure timely release of funds.
He also urged development partners to align their investments and technical support with national priorities.
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