The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, says malaria costs Nigeria over $1.1 billion in annual losses to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Prof. Pate, disclosed this at the inaugural meeting of the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria (AMEN).
In a statement issued by the Deputy Director of Information & Public Relations of the ministry, Alaba Balogun to the press in Abuja, the minister noted that malaria is a pressing economic and developmental emergency that must be eliminated.
Pate said Nigeria accounts for 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of global malaria deaths, making the disease a burden on the nation.
He added that in 2022 alone, over 180,000 Nigerian children under the age of five lost their lives to malaria.
“This is not just a health crisis; it is an economic and developmental emergency,”
“Malaria reduces productivity, increases out-of-pocket health expenditures and compounds the challenges of poverty.”
He said the annual loss to Nigeria’s GDP from malaria is a reminder of the economic imperative of its elimination.
Prof. Pate said the launch of the advisory body marks a bold and decisive step to address the scourge.
He explained that malaria elimination is a critical component of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative framework for transforming the health sector, in alignment with the renewed hope agenda of the present administration.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of traditional and religious leaders to drive grassroots support and influence behavioral change.
He said, the advocacy approach would compliment AMEN, in promoting the use of insecticide-treated nets, chemoprevention, and vaccines.
In his remark, the Minister of State for Health & Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, reiterated the critical roles of the newly established advisory council in guiding Nigeria toward a malaria-free future.
Salako said the group of experts will provide evidence-based advisory to help the country reduce its unacceptable malaria burden.
“For us to succeed, the private sector, the international partners, the healthcare workers and, the communities we serve must be harnessed and coordinated,” he said.
The advisory body is made up of globally renowned experts, charged with refocusing on advancing evidence-based solutions that address current challenges.
They are tasked with the terms of reference to ensure that malaria elimination is prioritised in the budgets and plans of all levels of government and, creating frameworks for accountability that ensure sustained progress.