Nigeria’s fight to eliminate malaria could gain a major boost as the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and Sproxil Nigeria Limited explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI), digital technology and private sector health data to strengthen malaria surveillance, diagnosis and treatment.
The two organisations, alongside health experts and development partners, held a two-day strategic alignment meeting in Lagos on August 6 and 7, 2026, to examine how technology can help Nigeria detect malaria trends faster, improve diagnosis, strengthen health communication and provide better support for health workers.
Malaria remains a major public health challenge across Africa, with Nigeria carrying a significant share of the burden. While the country has made progress in recent years, stakeholders at the meeting said new approaches would be required to move beyond malaria control towards eventual elimination.
National Coordinator of NMEP, Dr. Nnenna Chizaram Ogbulafor, said artificial intelligence could help improve the speed and quality of Nigeria’s malaria response.
“Artificial Intelligence offers us an opportunity to improve how we collect data, monitor interventions and strengthen programme implementation,” she said, adding that technology could enable health authorities to work smarter and respond faster.
Ogbulafor, citing the 2025 Malaria Indicator Survey, said malaria prevalence in Nigeria had declined to about 15 per cent, attributing the progress to sustained investments in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Despite the progress, however, stakeholders identified significant gaps in malaria surveillance, particularly among Nigerians who seek treatment outside government health facilities.
Millions of Nigerians obtain medicines or seek healthcare advice through community pharmacies and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs). The health-related interactions taking place within these private healthcare channels generate valuable information, but much of it is not captured by the national malaria surveillance system.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sproxil, Dr. Ashifi Gogo, said bringing private sector information into the national malaria response could give policymakers a clearer understanding of where malaria is occurring and where interventions are most urgently needed.
According to Gogo, combining government data with insights from the private healthcare ecosystem could help close important information gaps and support better decisions in the fight against malaria.
The meeting also examined Sproxil’s AI-assisted malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (mRDT) reading and digital verification technology, which could help accelerate Test Positivity Rate reporting from government health facilities.
Dr. Ibrahim Maikore, National Professional Officer for Malaria Surveillance at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Nigeria Country Office, said improved diagnostic accuracy could support better treatment decisions while strengthening the quality of malaria surveillance data.
Participants also explored Sproxil’s AISHA conversational AI platform and its potential application in social and behaviour change communication, malaria awareness, health worker training and continuous support for healthcare workers.
The discussions highlighted the potential of AI and digital technology to transform how Nigeria detects, monitors and responds to malaria. However, participants stressed that technology adoption must be backed by scientific validation, quality assurance, responsible data governance and interoperability with existing government systems.
The meeting ended with plans for further collaboration around private sector routine malaria data collection, AI-assisted test reporting, health communication and technology-enabled support for health workers.
For Nigeria, the emerging partnership could help turn information already being generated across pharmacies, medicine vendors and health facilities into actionable intelligence—giving health authorities a clearer picture of the malaria burden and helping interventions reach the people and communities that need them most.
