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2019 World Malaria Day: Nigeria contributes 25% To Global Malaria Burden-Minister

Published

8 years ago

April 25, 2019

2019 World Malaria Day: Nigeria contributes 25% To Global Malaria Burden-Minister

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on Thursday, revealed that malaria is still a public health challenge as Nigeria still accounts for 25% of the global malaria burden. We also account for 19% of deaths from malaria.

Though, funding for malaria control has remained relatively stable since 2010, we need to improve on the level of our investment to achieve a reduction of at least 40% in malaria case incidence and mortality rates globally by 2020, he noted

The minister made this known in his message to commemorate he World Malaria Day, saying, the celebration provides us the opportunity to review our strategies and up the tempo with a view to reducing significantly the burden of malaria in our beloved country.

According to him, the theme of the celebration is “Zero Malaria Starts with Me”, and slogan is “Join Me”. The theme is apt and reflects our commitment to the achievement of a malaria free Nigeria. The slogan reveals our desire to have all Nigerians come on board in the fight against malaria. Every Nigerian has a role to play from the artisan on the street to the Chief Executive in the office. There are simple things that we can do: Keep our environment clean; Sleep inside the Long lasting Insecticidal Nets; When feverish please go for a test ; and If positive ensure that you are treated with Artemisinin based Combination Therapy (ACT).

Adewole said that, “As you all know on April 25, 2000, during the African Summit, African leaders from 44 countries committed themselves to intensive efforts to combat the scourge of malaria. They agreed to use the 25th of April of every year to draw attention to the menace of malaria and elicit support for its control. The celebration began as the Africa Malaria Day and was later renamed the World Malaria Day.

“We are fully committed to malaria elimination. We have developed innovative programmes that will increase access to funds for malaria programme implementation. Some of which include the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, the Save One Million Lives Project and we are also soliciting for additional funding support for malaria programme. Let me now intimate you with the progress and milestones that we have recorded so far.

“We are recording a steady reduction in the malaria burden. The 2013 NDHS showed that malaria was responsible for 2 out of 10 deaths in children less than 5 years, as against 30% in previous years. The NMIS 2015 showed a remarkable reduction in the malaria prevalence from 42% (NMIS 2010) to 27% which resulted from a strong commitment from government and partners in their efforts to stem malaria. We look forward to the results of the NDHS 2018 for data on the current status of malaria.

“In 2018, President Mohammadu Buhari approved an incentive funding of $18.5 million for procurement of Long Lasting Insectcide Treated Nets(LLIN). We carried carried out LLINs replacement campaigns in eight States (Ogun, Jigawa, Katsina, Gombe, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Akwa-Ibom, Bauchi) with support from our partners – GF, PMI/USAID, CRS and SFH. In four of the Global Fund supported States, Information, Communication, Technology for Development (ICT4D) was deployed for the LLINs replacement campaign implementation. In all, a total of Twenty-four Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Ninety-six (24,730,896) LLINs were distributed across the eight States. Similarly, 7,200 LLINs were also distributed in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Adamawa State. As you all know, the campaigns are done every 3 years in each state of the Federation based on the life span of the nets. This is to ensure that our people are continuously protected from the scourge of malaria. In order to ensure effective monitoring of the malaria vector, we have gone further to establish three (3) new sentinel sites for vector surveillance in Osun, Niger and Kano States. This has increased the number of vector sentinel sites in the country to fourteen (14). Currently, a drug efficacy therapeutic test is on-going to assess the efficacy of recommended antimalarial drugs (ACTs, AA, DHP and Pyramax) in additional four site.

In order to ensure malaria commodities availability, a National quantification exercise was conducted in conjunction with states and others partners. This was co-ordinated by National Malaria Elimination Programme with technical and financial support from our partners. NMEP will also ensure a review of the forecast, six (6) months later. The PSM Sub-Committee has ratified the document for dissemination. In 2018, a standard operating procedure (SOP) for forecasting and quantification of malaria commodities was developed with support from partners. The document now serves as a guide to the malaria programme in subsequent quantification exercises.

In order to strengthen routine data generation, collection, collation and harmonization at State, LGA and community levels (NHMIS & DHIS), the Federal Ministry of Health through National Malaria Elimination Programme embarked on DHIS Data Analysis/Malaria bulletin Development. The bulletin will periodically make data on malaria programme implementation available to Nigerians. Efforts were also made to build States’ capacity on Malaria Surveillance, Monitoring and Evaluation. To this end twenty-six participants were trained (1 participant from NMEP, 25 participants from 13 States). Similarly the NMEP facilitated several trainings on data management as listed below: One-day North West (NW) zonal data review meeting ;Training of FCT Malaria programme staff on the conduct of DQA and; Participated in Therapeutic Efficacy Studies training on data management (REDcap) organized by NIMR

The Federal Ministry of Health through NMEP collaborated with the National Population Commission in the Conduct of the 2018 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) by supporting: The assessment of laboratories to be used as Staining Sites during the survey; Training of Trainers (ToT)for State Coordinators and Supervisors of NDHS 2018 in Kaduna State; The screening and selection of States’ Laboratory Scientists & Nurses for the Survey ;The conduct of NDHS Biomarker training; The training of laboratory scientists for staining of slides during the 2018 NDHS data collection exercise ; Facilitation of the 2018 NDHS main training of data collectors in Saminaka, Kaduna State; and The monitoring and coordination of the biomarker component of Data collection for the 2018 NDHS.

The results of the survey would soon be released by the National Population Commission.

Adewole added that, the Federal Government is in the process of setting up an expert group comprising of researchers in the field of malaria to provide guidance on country strategies for malaria elimination. Similarly, the process of Malaria Programme Review (MPR), a holistic review of malaria programme implementation in the country is on-going and the outcome would inform changes in strategies and interventions where necessary.

He called on Nigerians to double their efforts in resource mobilization in support of malaria elimination. The huge resources required to combat malaria in the country can only be achieved with contributions from Government, GFATM, RBM Partners and the private sector. I call on the private sector to commit more resources to support the fight against malaria.

We are all delighted to hear of the commencement in Malawi, of the pilot introduction of RTSS/ASO1, the world’s first antimalarial vaccine for partial protection of children against malaria. We anxiously look forward to a very good outcome which will catalyze global effort at the elimination of the scourge.

He thanks the RBM partnership in Nigeria for the tremendous support the ministry has enjoyed over the years. I must, acknowledge the immense contributions of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), WHO, UNICEF, DFID/SuNMaP, USAID/PMI, other Implementing Partners and the Private sector among others. Let me add that through your robust programmes several lives have been saved.

Finally, I wish to commend the rewarding partnership and support that we have enjoyed from the press. We continue to call on you for more support in getting the lifesaving messages on malaria elimination to our people. I therefore call on all Nigerians to participate actively in 2019 World Malaria Day celebration as we continue in our effort towards a malaria free Nigeria

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Strategic Partnerships, Diaspora Investment and Improved Workforce Critical to Industrialization-DG RMRDC

Published

1 day ago

November 12, 2026

The Gleamer

By: Stella Azi and Adaora Adibe

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called for a strategic shift from the exportation of raw commodities to domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition, declaring that Nigeria possesses enormous untapped raw material resources capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.

Prof. Ike-Muonso made this submission in a lecture titled Unlocking Nigeria’s Raw Material Value Chain for Industrialization, Manufacturing and Competitiveness, where he presented an extensive assessment of Nigeria’s resource endowments, industrial challenges and emerging investment opportunities across agricultural commodities, solid minerals and waste-based raw materials.

The lecture highlighted a combined US$2.65 trillion global market opportunity across 30 major raw material value chains, comprising 12 agricultural value chains valued at US$932 billion, 11 mineral value chains worth US$1.352 trillion and seven circular-economy value chains estimated at US$366 billion.

According to the RMRDC Boss, Nigeria must move beyond the traditional approach of extracting and exporting raw materials to building competitive domestic industries that transform these resources into intermediate products, industrial inputs and finished goods for local consumption and international markets.

He observed that the country’s manufacturing sector has struggled to sustain its 2014 peak, with its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product declining from 9.64 per cent in 2014 to 8.05 per cent in 2025, representing a 16.5 per cent decline. He also drew attention to the increasing cost of raw material imports, which rose to US$20.5 billion in 2025, approximately six times the 2020 level.

He explained that the growing dependence on imported industrial inputs exposes Nigerian manufacturers to foreign exchange volatility, increases production costs and weakens the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.

Prof. ke-Muonso stressed that the solution lies in developing domestic raw material value chains through deliberate investment in processing facilities, research and development, technology, infrastructure and stronger linkages between producers, processors and manufacturers.

He identified agriculture, solid minerals and industrial waste as three major resource platforms for Nigeria’s industrial transformation, stating the country’s significant production capacity and the enormous opportunities available for downstream processing.

Ike-Muonso noted that Nigeria produces over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, making it the world’s largest producer, while also maintaining strong positions in cocoa, cashew, sesame, palm oil and cotton. However, more than 80 per cent of agricultural output leaves farms without adequate processing, resulting in the loss of significant economic value and industrial opportunities.

In the solid minerals sector, he identified more than 44 commercially viable minerals across over 500 locations, including lithium, gold, barite, bitumen, iron ore and high-grade limestone, describing them as strategic resources capable of supporting steel production, energy storage, electrification and advanced manufacturing.

The DG further drew attention to Nigeria’s industrial and agro-waste resources, noting that the country generates over 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually. He explained that agricultural residues, cassava peels, scrap metals, plastics and electronic waste could serve as important feedstock for bio-fertilisers, industrial chemicals, recycled polymers, energy production and other manufacturing applications.

In the agricultural sector, the DG identified cassava and industrial starch, cotton and natural textiles, natural rubber and elastomers, oil palm and oleochemicals, maize derivatives and cocoa processing as priority areas requiring increased investment.

He explained that processing agricultural commodities into industrial starch, sweeteners, textiles, technical rubber, specialty fats and other intermediate products would enable Nigeria to capture more value from its agricultural resources while reducing dependence on imported industrial inputs.

For the minerals sector, he highlighted crude oil-to-olefins and petrochemicals, lithium and energy storage, iron ore and steel, rare earth elements, bauxite and aluminium, and copper and electrification as strategic investment opportunities.

He particularly emphasised the importance of moving beyond mineral extraction into beneficiation, refining, battery precursors, industrial chemicals, metal fabrication and advanced materials production.

On the circular economy, Prof. Ike-Muonso identified electronic waste recovery, scrap metal recycling, plastic waste processing, agro-waste valorisation and battery recycling as emerging industrial opportunities.

He explained that transforming waste into productive industrial feedstock would not only reduce environmental pollution but also create new manufacturing industries, generate employment and reduce the importation of valuable industrial materials.

He noted that to address the structural challenges confronting raw material-based industrialisation, the DG highlighted the strategic interventions of the RMRDC, particularly the proposed 30% Value Addition Bill and the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP).

He described the 30% Value Addition Bill as an important policy instrument designed to encourage domestic processing of raw materials before export, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and guarantee access to essential raw materials for Nigerian industries, and NISSRAMP as a critical data infrastructure that would improve access to verified information on the availability, location and quality of raw materials.

According to him, the combination of appropriate policy instruments and reliable resource data would help de-risk investments, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government, academia and industry in developing bankable projects, sharing investment risks and accelerating the establishment of processing and manufacturing facilities.

Professor Ike-Muonso called on Nigerians in the diaspora and other local and international investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He identified industrial processing parks, mineral beneficiation and refining, agro-industrial platforms, circular-material processing, industrial input manufacturing and enabling infrastructure as viable investment platforms.

He noted that diaspora investors could contribute beyond financial capital by bringing technology, international business networks, governance standards, technical expertise and access to global markets.

He maintained that Nigeria’s industrial transformation requires coordinated investment across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing and aggregation to processing, manufacturing, certification and export development.

Professor Ike-Muonso stressed that the country’s industrial future would depend not merely on the volume of raw materials extracted but on the capacity to transform them into competitive products that meet domestic and international market requirements.

He maintained that developing local value chains would stimulate industrial growth, create employment opportunities, diversify exports, conserve foreign exchange and deepen Nigeria’s technological capabilities.

Through its strategic interventions, the RMRDC is positioning itself as a critical bridge between resource availability, investment opportunities and industrial competitiveness, with the ultimate objective of transforming Nigeria from a predominantly raw material exporting economy into a strong manufacturing and value-adding nation.

Ike-Muonso has demonstrated this since assumption of office as the Director General/ CEO RMRDC in the area of capacity building, improved working conditions, promotion of merit, and maintaining a conducive environment that rewards excellence, innovation and dedication. This is evident in his institution of RMRDC training school, reward for winners of the RMRDC innovation challenge among others.

His commitment has brought recognition both nationally and internationally: Al-Jazirah double honour awards as Public Servant /Government Agency of the year 2024-2025 and the recent election as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Representative on the Board of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is a attestation to his commitment.

Concluding the lecture, the DG charged staff, researchers, manufacturers and investors to see themselves as nation builders in the new era of raw materials-led industrialization.

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