Elegbede Abiodun
“What we need now is urgency, sustained investment, and collective accountability.”
Chairman of Nigeria’s National Malaria Elimination Council (NMEC) and United Nations Malaria Ambassador, Aliko Dangote has called on governments and the private sector to urgently scale up coordinated action to eliminate malaria, describing the moment as critical to ending one of the world’s most devastating diseases.
Speaking to mark World Malaria Day 2026, Dangote emphasised that while progress against malaria has been significant, it remains uneven, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which bears more than 90 percent of the global disease burden.
Despite significant advances in prevention and treatment, malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest diseases, with sub‑Saharan Africa accounting for more than 90 percent of the global disease burden. The illness continues to disproportionately affect children under five, pregnant women, displaced populations, and underserved communities, placing sustained pressure on health systems and economies.
“Progress against malaria is real, but it remains deeply unequal,” Dangote said. “Too many people still lack access to life‑saving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This gap is unacceptable when the tools to end malaria already exist.”
Malaria continues to place immense pressure on health systems, economies, and communities across Africa, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable. However, Dangote noted that the global malaria response has reached a pivotal moment, driven by scientific advances, improved tools, and stronger partnerships.
From next‑generation vaccines and better diagnostics to data‑driven surveillance systems, Dangote said the pathway to malaria elimination is clearer today than at any other time in history. What is now required, he stressed, is decisive, equitable, and large‑scale implementation.
This year’s global theme, “Driven to end malaria: now we can. Now we must,” underscores both the opportunity and the urgency of collective action. Dangote highlighted the critical role of the private sector in supporting national and global malaria elimination efforts. Through workplace and community‑based initiatives focused on prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment, Dangote Industries Limited continues to support malaria programmes that complement public health strategies.
“Aligned and well‑coordinated private sector action can deliver measurable impact and significantly reinforce national malaria control programmes,” he said.
He further stressed that no single sector could defeat malaria alone. According to Dangote, strong public‑private partnerships, uniting governments, businesses, development partners, civil society, and local communities, are essential to mobilising the resources, innovation, and scale needed to accelerate progress.
Dangote also warned that emerging threats, including drug and insecticide resistance, must be addressed through sustained investment in research, innovation, and adaptive strategies to protect the gains already made.
“The path to a malaria‑free world is clear. We have the tools. We have the knowledge,” he said. “What we need now is urgency, sustained investment, and collective accountability.”
He called on governments to maintain policy momentum and funding commitments, urged the private sector to expand proven interventions, and encouraged development partners to continue investing in high‑burden settings.
“Together—driven by purpose and united in action—we can end malaria,” Dangote said. “Now we can. Now we must.”
