The Senate has passed legislation to establish a dedicated agency tasked with coordinating Nigeria's fight against malaria across all states and regions.
The new agency will oversee prevention, control, and eventual elimination of malaria, a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of Nigerians annually and costs the country billions in healthcare spending and lost productivity. The bill aims to create a unified command structure for what has previously been scattered efforts across different ministries and health programmes.
Malaria remains one of Nigeria's most persistent public health challenges. The disease accounts for a significant portion of hospital visits and deaths, particularly among children under five and pregnant women. Despite decades of campaigns and interventions, transmission rates have remained stubbornly high in many parts of the country.
The agency will have the power to formulate national malaria elimination strategies, coordinate with state health ministries, mobilise funding, and monitor progress against set targets. It will work with international health organisations and development partners already active in malaria control in Nigeria.
Creating a dedicated agency represents a shift toward treating malaria elimination as a standalone priority rather than one programme among many within the health ministry. Countries like Rwanda and Ethiopia have used similar agency models to dramatically reduce malaria cases in recent years.
The bill must now go to President Bola Tinubu for assent before it becomes law and the agency can begin operations. The government will need to allocate adequate budget and recruit staff with expertise in disease epidemiology, public health, and programme management. Implementation timelines and the agency's headquarters location have not yet been announced.
