Nigeria’s Senate has moved closer to creating a dedicated agency to tackle malaria, as a bill establishing the National Agency for Malaria Eradication (NAME) passed second reading on Thursday.
Sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), the bill aims to consolidate and strengthen Nigeria’s malaria response through a centralized institution.
Nwoko argued that malaria, which remains the deadliest disease in Nigeria, is not just a health issue but a structural crisis affecting maternal health, productivity, and national development.
“Nigeria cannot afford fragmented efforts anymore,” he said. “We need the same urgency and coordination we saw during the COVID-19 response.”
According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 report, Nigeria accounted for over 184,000 of the 600,000 global malaria deaths in 2023—making it the worst-hit country.
Nwoko emphasized that malaria causes about 11% of maternal deaths in Nigeria and is a major contributor to anaemia, stillbirths, and infant mortality, with huge economic costs due to lost productivity.
He criticized the current efforts led by the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) as being under-resourced and uncoordinated.
If passed, the new agency would develop a national malaria eradication strategy, coordinate cross-sectoral efforts, manage funding effectively and support vaccine and genetic research.
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health for further legislative work, with a report expected in four weeks. It received strong bipartisan support, with several senators calling it a timely and overdue intervention.
