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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to eliminating malaria and strengthening Nigeria’s public health response as the Federal Government moves towards adopting a new prevention strategy known as Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC).
The intervention is designed to protect children in areas where malaria transmission occurs throughout the year.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the national dissemination of findings from the Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention Implementation Research Study.
The event was organised by the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with Malaria Consortium.
Salako said the possible adoption of PMC represents one of the bold steps being considered by the Federal Government based on evidence generated from implementation research, as Nigeria intensifies efforts to reduce malaria-related illness and deaths.
He said President Tinubu’s commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Nigerians remains focused on strengthening public health interventions, stressing that malaria elimination is “not a slogan but a strategic priority.”
According to him, “Together with commitment and partnership, we will change the story. Together we will drive down the burden of malaria and together we will move decisively towards a malaria-free Nigeria.”
The minister explained that the PMC study, which commenced in 2023 following its inclusion in the 2021–2025 National Malaria Strategic Plan, was designed to generate evidence on the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of the intervention in Nigeria.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through the NMEP, prioritised the pilot implementation of PMC, formerly known as Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Infants (IPTi), particularly in areas that are not eligible for Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC).
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“The intervention is targeted at protecting children under 24 months in regions where malaria transmission occurs throughout the year.”
Salako added that the findings from the research would guide Nigeria’s decision on whether to adopt PMC as a targeted sub-national intervention to reduce malaria burden and accelerate progress towards elimination.
According to him, the strategy aligns with the recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for malaria-endemic countries and would complement existing measures, including vector control, effective diagnosis and treatment, surveillance and other preventive interventions.
Salako said Nigeria had recorded progress in malaria control, noting that the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey showed a decline in malaria prevalence from 42 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2025.
However, he acknowledged that Nigeria still accounts for a significant share of the global malaria burden, representing about 24.3 per cent of malaria cases worldwide, making the introduction of additional evidence-based interventions necessary.
The minister said the proposed adoption of PMC would also promote equity in malaria elimination efforts, particularly as Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention has already contributed significantly to reducing malaria deaths among children in northern Nigeria.
“Seasonal malaria chemoprevention has contributed to a lot of under-five children’s lives being saved in the northern parts of our country,” he said.
Salako reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to implementing the Nigerian Malaria Strategic Plan 2026–2030, which he said would provide strategic direction for resource mobilisation, service integration and strengthening of healthcare systems.
He commended development partners, including Malaria Consortium, as well as Federal Government agencies, state governments and frontline health workers for their contributions towards achieving malaria elimination in Nigeria.
