The National Malaria Elimination Programme, NMEP, and Sproxil Nigeria Limited have explored the use of artificial intelligence, digital technology and private sector data to strengthen Nigeria’s efforts to eliminate malaria. The organisations, alongside health experts and development partners, held a two day strategic meeting in Lagos on August 6 and 7, 2026, to examine how technology can improve malaria surveillance, diagnosis, health communication and support for health workers.
National Coordinator of NMEP, Dr Nnenna Chizaram Ogbulafor, said artificial intelligence could improve data collection, monitoring of interventions and programme implementation. Citing the 2025 Malaria Indicator Survey, she said malaria prevalence in Nigeria had declined to about 15 per cent as a result of sustained investments in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, but stressed the need for new approaches to achieve eventual elimination.
The meeting identified private healthcare data as an important but largely untapped resource, particularly information generated through community pharmacies and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors. Sproxil Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ashifi Gogo, said combining such data with government information could provide policymakers with a clearer picture of malaria trends and help direct interventions to areas of greatest need.
Participants also examined Sproxil’s AI assisted malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test reading and digital verification technology, as well as its AISHA conversational AI platform for health communication and worker training. However, stakeholders stressed that technology adoption must be supported by scientific validation, quality assurance, responsible data governance and compatibility with existing government systems. The meeting ended with plans to strengthen collaboration on malaria data collection, AI assisted testing, health communication and technology enabled support for health workers.