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Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria

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5 months ago

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African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.

The discussions took center stage at the Big Push Against Malaria: Harnessing Africa’s Role high-level political engagement in Abuja, where Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda showcased new homegrown financing strategies aimed at reducing dependence on dwindling donor support.

Africa’s Heavy Burden

Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. In 2023, the world recorded 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths occurring in Africa. Nigeria alone accounted for 26.6% of global cases and 31% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. Children under five remain the most vulnerable, making up 76% of deaths.

Despite progress — with Nigeria cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000 through insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatments, and the rollout of the new R21 malaria vaccine — leaders warned that global targets are off-track. The World Health Organization’s technical strategy for malaria (2016–2030) has stalled since 2017, with Africa unlikely to meet its 2025 and 2030 milestones without urgent action.

Taxing for Health Futures

The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.

According to the House Chair on ATM, Hon. Linda Ogar, a bill is underway to restructure the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) into a multi-disease agency that will address HIV, TB, and malaria.

The new financing mechanism proposes:

Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items

Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions

A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue

“These resources will provide sustainable funding to strengthen health systems and accelerate malaria elimination,” Ogar said, stressing that Africa must stop relying solely on foreign donors. “We cannot continue to take two steps forward and five steps backward. Africa must begin to show the world that we are ready to solve our problems ourselves.”

Similar models are already being piloted in Ghana and Uganda, where levies on mobile money and telecoms are being redirected to finance health interventions. The Abuja meeting urged other African countries to adopt this approach as part of a continental framework for sustainable financing.

Leaders Call for Urgent Action

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that while malaria is preventable and treatable, it still kills hundreds of thousands yearly due to funding shortfalls, climate change, insecticide resistance, and humanitarian crises.

“To truly defeat this disease, we must rethink, join forces, and mount a concerted ‘Big Push’. Funding gaps remain a major obstacle, and innovative domestic financing is the way forward,” Salako declared.

From the civil society front, grassroots representatives pledged to act as “foot soldiers”, demanding that communities have a seat at the decision-making table. The World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and other partners reaffirmed support but stressed the need for stronger political will and local ownership.

Private Sector and Global Support

Representing billionaire philanthropist Aliko Dangote, the Nigeria Malaria Council reiterated that private sector investment must complement government financing. Meanwhile, the Global Fund confirmed it has invested nearly $2 billion in Nigeria’s malaria response and committed an additional $500 million for 2024–2026, including support for local production of malaria drugs.

The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:

“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”

Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria

Abuja, Nigeria – African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.

The discussions took center stage at the Big Push Against Malaria: Harnessing Africa’s Role high-level political engagement in Abuja, where Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda showcased new homegrown financing strategies aimed at reducing dependence on dwindling donor support.

Africa’s Heavy Burden

Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. In 2023, the world recorded 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths occurring in Africa. Nigeria alone accounted for 26.6% of global cases and 31% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. Children under five remain the most vulnerable, making up 76% of deaths.

Despite progress — with Nigeria cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000 through insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatments, and the rollout of the new R21 malaria vaccine — leaders warned that global targets are off-track. The World Health Organization’s technical strategy for malaria (2016–2030) has stalled since 2017, with Africa unlikely to meet its 2025 and 2030 milestones without urgent action.

Taxing for Health Futures

The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.

According to the House Chair on ATM, Hon. Linda Ogar, a bill is underway to restructure the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) into a multi-disease agency that will address HIV, TB, and malaria.

The new financing mechanism proposes:

Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items

Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions

A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue

“These resources will provide sustainable funding to strengthen health systems and accelerate malaria elimination,” Ogar said, stressing that Africa must stop relying solely on foreign donors. “We cannot continue to take two steps forward and five steps backward. Africa must begin to show the world that we are ready to solve our problems ourselves.”

Similar models are already being piloted in Ghana and Uganda, where levies on mobile money and telecoms are being redirected to finance health interventions. The Abuja meeting urged other African countries to adopt this approach as part of a continental framework for sustainable financing.

Leaders Call for Urgent Action

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that while malaria is preventable and treatable, it still kills hundreds of thousands yearly due to funding shortfalls, climate change, insecticide resistance, and humanitarian crises.

“To truly defeat this disease, we must rethink, join forces, and mount a concerted ‘Big Push’. Funding gaps remain a major obstacle, and innovative domestic financing is the way forward,” Salako declared.

From the civil society front, grassroots representatives pledged to act as “foot soldiers”, demanding that communities have a seat at the decision-making table. The World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and other partners reaffirmed support but stressed the need for stronger political will and local ownership.

Private Sector and Global Support

Representing billionaire philanthropist Aliko Dangote, the Nigeria Malaria Council reiterated that private sector investment must complement government financing. Meanwhile, the Global Fund confirmed it has invested nearly $2 billion in Nigeria’s malaria response and committed an additional $500 million for 2024–2026, including support for local production of malaria drugs.

The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:

“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”

The Big Push: From Talk to Action

Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.

With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.

“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”

Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are pioneering a shift from donor dependence to domestic revenue mobilization via tobacco, alcohol, and telecom taxes — a model hailed as central to financing Africa’s health futures and ending malaria by 2030
Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.

With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.

“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”

Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are pioneering a shift from donor dependence to domestic revenue mobilization via tobacco, alcohol, and telecom taxes — a model hailed as central to financing Africa’s health futures and ending malaria by 2030

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Resetting the Frontlines: Army Undergoes Rejuvenation Under Lt. Gen Shaibu’s Command

Published

2 weeks ago

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February 11, 2026

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  • …Intelligence-led warfare, troop welfare take centre stage
  • …Discipline, welfare, accountability define new era
  • …As sustained operations weaken terrorists, restore confidence

By Ibukunoluwa Adedeji

When Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu assumed office as the 25th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on 30 October 2025, Nigeria faced an array of security challenges: insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West, communal violence in the North-Central, and separatist tensions in the South-East. Troops were overstretched, public confidence was fragile, and adversaries were increasingly adaptive.

Yet within his first 100 days, Shaibu delivered renewed direction, restored confidence, and a reinvigorated operational posture. His leadership has begun to reshape both the internal culture of the Army and its external engagement with a nation hungry for stability.

From the outset, Shaibu emphasised leadership by presence. He undertook early and frequent visits to frontline formations, engaging directly with troops and commanders, inspecting bases, and holding candid discussions about operational realities. During one such visit, he reminded soldiers that “failure is not an option” and that the Army must “take the fight to the enemy and sustain the pressure”. For personnel operating under austere conditions, this visible command style carried symbolic and practical weight, signalling both accountability and support.

Within the ranks, these engagements have been interpreted as a reassertion of professionalism, initiative, and discipline at every level of command. Morale, strained by years of protracted internal security operations, has shown early signs of recovery.

Rather than pursue sweeping doctrinal changes, Shaibu has focused on tightening existing operations, closing gaps, and enforcing discipline. Commanders have been directed to prioritise sustained pressure over episodic offensives, denying armed groups freedom of movement, disrupting their logistics networks, and degrading command structures. This approach reflects an understanding that Nigeria’s threats are fragmented and mobile, and that lasting gains depend less on dramatic victories than on persistent control of contested spaces.

Central to this recalibration is the emphasis on intelligence-led operations. By urging formations to reduce predictability and adapt tactics to evolving threats, Shaibu has reinforced flexibility and responsiveness, particularly in theatres where adversaries exploit terrain, local vulnerabilities, and intelligence gaps.

Perhaps the most widely welcomed dimension of Shaibu’s early tenure has been his candour about logistics and welfare challenges. He has openly acknowledged equipment shortages, maintenance backlogs, and inefficiencies in supply chains — issues often underplayed at senior command levels. “You cannot demand excellence from soldiers without giving them the tools to succeed,” he told troops during one engagement.

Although such systemic problems cannot be resolved quickly, the early prioritisation of welfare and sustainment has resonated strongly across the ranks. It has reinforced the principle that discipline and performance thrive where leadership invests in people as much as platforms.

Shaibu has also been unequivocal in reaffirming professionalism and discipline as non-negotiable pillars of Army conduct. Troops have been reminded to adhere strictly to rules of engagement and to protect civilians, particularly in complex internal security environments where the distinction between combatant and non-combatant is often blurred. “Operational success and public trust are inseparable,” he has said, underscoring that legitimacy and restraint are as critical as kinetic force in modern conflict.

Civil–military relations and strategic communication have likewise received renewed attention. Under his leadership, the Army has sought to balance operational secrecy with transparency, explaining actions affecting civilians and reinforcing the reality that contemporary conflicts are fought as much in the court of public opinion as on the battlefield.

While his tenure remains young, early operational dividends are emerging. Dr Sani Abubakar, military scholar and publisher of OurNigeria News Magazine, describes Shaibu’s leadership as “reassuring and energising”, citing his combat credibility, operational boldness, and focus on troop welfare. According to Abubakar, Shaibu’s philosophy centres on sustained dominance of the battlespace, intelligence-led targeting, and uncompromising control of reclaimed terrain — principles vital to breaking cycles of retreat and resurgence by armed groups.

He notes that numerous terrorist elements have been neutralised under this approach, while others, weakened by sustained pressure, have surrendered. Equally significant, Abubakar observes, is Shaibu’s emphasis on sound administration. Fairness and transparency in postings and appointments are gradually restoring confidence within the officer corps and rank and file, addressing long-standing concerns about morale, meritocracy, and institutional trust.

Reflecting on Shaibu’s career, Abubakar describes him as “a thoroughbred, no-nonsense officer who led from the front and was unflinching in confronting Boko Haram terrorists”. His insistence on integrity, accountability, and merit-based leadership, he argues, is grounded in experience at every level of command and now shapes the tone of the Army’s senior leadership.

At the 100-day mark, Shaibu’s tenure is defined more by direction than dramatic outcomes — a reality seasoned analysts regard as realistic and prudent. Nigeria’s vast terrain, multiplicity of threats, intelligence gaps, and enduring resource constraints mean that no leader can deliver transformative security outcomes overnight.

Nevertheless, the gains are tangible. Operational coherence has improved, morale has lifted, and public confidence, though cautious, has begun to recover. The focus on sustained operations, intelligence-driven targeting, troop welfare, professionalism, and accountability represents a recalibration towards durability rather than spectacle.

Abubakar, while commending these advances, advocates deeper investment in human intelligence, expanded use of unmanned aerial vehicles, and sustained commitment to security sector governance reforms as essential for long-term efficiency and professionalism.

Beyond operational metrics, one of Shaibu’s most significant achievements lies in restoring institutional confidence. Among officers and soldiers, his leadership style — marked by visibility, firmness, and empathy — has reinforced the belief that competence, integrity, and merit are once again ascendant values within the Nigerian Army.

Among communities affected by violence, his emphasis on civilian protection, transparency, and professionalism has begun to reframe perceptions of the military from a distant security force to a responsive national institution committed to safeguarding lives and livelihoods. For political leaders and security stakeholders, his early tenure has provided reassurance that Army leadership understands both the complexity of Nigeria’s security challenges and the necessity of sustained, coordinated responses rather than episodic reactions.

Ultimately, Shaibu’s success will be measured not by early momentum but by enduring outcomes: fewer attacks, safer communities, and restored public confidence in the state’s capacity to protect its citizens. Troops will judge whether leadership intent continues to be matched by resources, reforms, and consistent follow-through.

What is already clear, however, is that Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu has reset the tone at the top of Nigeria’s Army. Through leadership by presence, operational discipline, attention to troop welfare, and an unambiguous commitment to professionalism and accountability, he has laid the foundations for sustained institutional recovery.

In a security environment where patience is scarce and pressure relentless, these early gains matter. They suggest that under Shaibu’s stewardship, the Nigerian Army is not merely reacting to threats, but regaining the initiative, and crucially, the confidence needed to confront Nigeria’s most persistent security challenges with resolve, coherence, and credibility.

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