Korede Abdullah 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria has reduced malaria parasite prevalence among children aged six to 59 months from 22 per cent in 2021 to 15.2 per cent in 2025, as the Federal Government targets a further 50 per cent reduction in prevalence and malaria-related deaths by 2030.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the figures during the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey Report and the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2026–2030 in Abuja.
Pate, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom S., described the decline as meaningful progress in the country’s malaria response but warned that it did not mean Nigeria was close to eliminating the disease.
The figures were contained in a statement issued on Thursday, October 22, 2026, by Ado Bako, Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The minister cited Kebbi State as an example of progress, saying malaria prevalence there fell from 49 per cent in 2021 to 18 per cent in 2025.
According to Pate, 72.3 per cent of children and 80.6 per cent of pregnant women in households that owned insecticide-treated nets slept under them. He stressed the need to strengthen consistent use of the nets as part of efforts to prevent malaria infections.
The figures concern net use among people living in households that own the preventive tool; they do not represent the proportion of all Nigerian children or pregnant women sleeping under nets. Pate urged state governments to align malaria budgets with identified needs and release allocated funds promptly to support prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
He also called on development partners to coordinate their investments with national priorities to reduce duplication and ensure that resources reach communities with the greatest needs.
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Hope Ajayi 
Oluwatobi Adu