Fighting malaria in Nigeria

Malaria is sadly a daily risk for cocoa-growing communities in Nigeria with the country contributing to 27% of malaria deaths globally^[1].   Without treatment, the disease can be fatal with symptoms ranging from fever, muscular pains, vomiting and diarrhoea, anaemia, convulsions and coma. Cocoa farmers in Nigeria find themselves more susceptible to malaria due to its high prevalence in rural and agricultural areas.

This challenging picture in Nigeria is set against a yet more complex situation globally due to the enduring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which posed a disruption to the provision of malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, driving increased cases. In 2022, malaria cases globally reached 249 million, far above the number of cases the World Health Organisation estimated for the year, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and representing a five million increase on 2021 cases^[2].

The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative is the U.S. government’s largest program in the fight against malaria and has been actively working across the African continent since 2006. Led by the United States Agency for International Development and co-implemented with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PMI works with government, private sector, multilateral, and civil society partners to save millions of lives from the infectious disease. 

PMI partnered with ofi for the first time in 2023, along with the Cross River State Government, to widen the distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs).