The Lagos State Government has officially launched a dual elimination strategy targeting malaria and tuberculosis, with digital innovation emerging as the cornerstone of the state’s health systems reform agenda. The high-level convening, which brought together top government officials, national programme leaders, and private sector partners in Ikeja on Wednesday, marked a significant milestone in the state’s journey toward becoming a malaria elimination zone while simultaneously tackling its substantial tuberculosis burden.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, declared that the health of Lagos residents remains an unwavering priority. “The health of our citizens remains a top priority, and this gathering reflects that dedication,” he stated.
The Governor emphasised that malaria continues to be a leading cause of illness and death, particularly among women and children. He highlighted how the successful digitisation of over 400 private health providers and improved care for more than 18,000 patients demonstrates technology’s transformative power in disease surveillance and case management. “Public health progress is accelerated when government enables innovation through partnerships,” he said.
Describing the newly launched tuberculosis diagnostic access programme as a decisive step toward finding missing cases, Sanwo-Olu stressed that while the private sector expands access and efficiency, “the responsibility for health security in Lagos remains firmly with government leadership and accountability to the people.”
The Governor reaffirmed that his administration remains focused on building lasting systems beyond political cycles. “The goal is to create a proactive, digitally enabled, data-driven system where no community is invisible and no citizen is forgotten,” he said, calling on Lagosians to embrace early testing and support healthcare workers.
The Malaria Paradox: Solving the Data Discrepancy
Presenting a detailed scientific overview, Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, described the event as both “the culmination of a transformative chapter and the deliberate commencement of a more ambitious phase in our health systems reform agenda.”
Abayomi revealed a fascinating malaria paradox that had long puzzled health officials. While community surveys showed malaria prevalence dropping dramatically from 15 per cent in 2010 to just 2.6 per cent by 2022, health facilities were still reporting high malaria cases. This discrepancy was resolved when the state expanded surveillance into the private sector, where over 60 per cent of residents seek care.
Through strategic partnership with Maisha Meds, Lagos transformed 514 community pharmacies and patent medicine vendors into digitised nodes within a coordinated network, enabling over 80,000 diagnostic tests. The findings were remarkable: once mandatory testing before treatment was enforced, malaria positivity fell below one per cent in March 2025 and remained between four and five per cent in peak months.
“This confirms that approximately 95 per cent of fever cases in Lagos are not malaria,” Abayomi explained, adding that this finding affirms Lagos State’s status as a low-transmission setting. The initiative also created a digital referral pathway for non-malaria fever cases and integrated services into the LASHMA-managed care package, anchoring sustainability within the state’s financing framework.
Tackling the Tuberculosis Detection Gap
The Commissioner delivered sobering statistics on tuberculosis, revealing that Lagos accounts for nine per cent of Nigeria’s TB burden, with only 3,565 of an estimated 6,038 cases detected in the second quarter of 2025. “With more than 66 per cent of cases remaining undiagnosed annually, persistent transmission continues,” he warned.
To close this alarming gap, Abayomi announced the deployment of the PlusLife MiniDock, a portable non-sputum molecular diagnostic platform, through the existing digitally enabled provider network. “Rather than constructing a parallel system, we will leverage our established infrastructure to decentralise precise TB diagnostics into communities,” he said.
He further outlined broader reforms including infrastructure upgrades, domestication of the National Health Insurance Authority Act, establishment of a new University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and expansion of a public health information platform. “Data is critical for informed decision-making, policy development and resource allocation,” he emphasised.
Sustainability Beyond Donor Cycles
Representing the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Health Service Commission, Dr. Abimbola Mabogunje, stressed that early, accurate and accessible diagnosis remains the cornerstone of disease elimination. “By aligning malaria and tuberculosis diagnostic services, we are maximising resources and ensuring no case is missed,” she said, calling for strengthened laboratory systems and sustainable funding.
In a powerful endorsement, Chairman of the House Committee on Infectious Diseases at the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, commended Lagos for building on its malaria successes. “If Lagos State gets it right, Nigeria will get it right,” he declared, noting his committee’s expanded mandate to tackle a broader spectrum of infectious diseases.
Jessica Vernon of Maisha Meds celebrated the transition of the malaria PATHWAY project from World Bank funding into the Lagos State budget. “When a government invests its own resources into a programme, it signifies that we have built something that works and is sustainable,” she said, adding that Lagos now qualifies as a malaria elimination zone.
Institutionalising the Gains
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, represented by the Program Manager of the Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr. Abimbola Osinowo, emphasised that the malaria pre-elimination and tuberculosis diagnostic scale-up initiatives reflect the Ministry’s deliberate shift toward systems strengthening.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that these gains are not episodic but institutionalised within the structure of our health system,” she said, adding that strong governance and performance monitoring will remain central to implementation. She assured stakeholders that aligning disease control programmes with health financing reforms and workforce development strategies will guarantee continuity beyond donor cycles.
National Malaria Elimination Programme Coordinator, Dr. Nnenna Ogbulafor, described the PATHWAY project as a defining milestone. “The systematic application of ‘test before treat’ and real-time digital reporting has consolidated Lagos’ status as a pre-elimination setting,” she said.
Acting National Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme, Dr. Clement Adesigbin, urged other states to emulate Lagos’ approach. “If you do not have accurate data, it becomes difficult to plan effectively,” he noted, highlighting community-based strategies that improved TB treatment coverage nationally.
A Blueprint for National Health Security
Board Chairman of Maisha Meds Nigeria, Ahmed Yakasai, underscored the importance of political will and sustainable financing. “Digital health is no longer optional, it is the future,” he said, urging replication of the Lagos model across other states.
Stakeholders at the summit agreed that the convergence of digital innovation, public-private collaboration, and disciplined surveillance offers a scalable blueprint for national health security, positioning Lagos as a subnational leader in disease elimination.
The highpoint of the event was the official unveiling of the Tuberculosis Diagnostic Scale-Up in Lagos State, tagged “End TB Now,” by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, signalling a new phase in the state’s integrated disease elimination drive.
The convening concluded with a collective resolve to move from malaria control to elimination and from facility-based TB diagnosis to decentralised, technology-driven detection. Officials described the moment as defining in Lagos’ journey toward a healthier, safer, and future-ready megacity, where no community remains invisible and no citizen is forgotten in the pursuit of universal health coverage.
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