The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) marks World Malaria Day 2026 at a moment of profound contradiction. The tools to end malaria including vaccines, next-generation insecticide-treated nets, seasonal chemoprevention, and effective treatment are now available and being deployed across Africa at an unprecedented scale.
Yet malaria continues to claim lives at an alarming rate. In 2024 alone, the disease caused an estimated 610,000 deaths globally, with 95% occurring in Africa. Of these, 80% were children under the age of five. Nigeria bears a disproportionate burden, accounting for approximately 27% of global malaria deaths.
The World Health Organization and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria have framed this critical moment with urgency: “Now We Can. Now We Must.” WBFA affirms both the opportunity and the obligation embedded in this call and issues this position statement to clarify what it means for Nigeria and the actions required in response.
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa recognises that malaria is not merely an infectious disease; it is a reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCAH+N) emergency. Malaria in pregnancy remains a major driver of maternal anaemia, low birthweight, preterm birth, and neonatal mortality across sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. It disproportionately affects the most vulnerable pregnant women, adolescent girls, and children under five populations central to WBFA’s mission.
On this World Malaria Day 2026;
– WBFA affirms that universal access to intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), and malaria vaccines must be fully integrated into Nigeria’s RMNCAH+N continuum of care.
– Calls on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, state governments, and development partners to urgently close both domestic and international financing gaps for malaria elimination.
– Commends the rollout of malaria vaccines across 25 countries globally and urges accelerated deployment in Nigeria’s high-burden states.
– Supports the role of community health workers and digital midwifery platforms including WBFA’s MamaCare360 programme as frontline tools for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment-seeking behaviour.
– Urges Nigeria to renew its commitment to the Zero Malaria movement and to integrate malaria elimination targets within national RMNCAH+N strategies.