By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, April 25, GNA– Ghana has renewed its commitment to eliminating malaria, with health authorities and partners calling for urgent, coordinated action.
The renewed push, under the theme, “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must,” comes as the country records significant declines in infections and deaths but faces persistent structural and environmental challenges.
Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said Ghana now had the tools, science and capacity to eliminate malaria, warning that delays would cost lives and livelihoods.
He said this in a statement delivered on his behalf by Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Director of Public Health, GHS, at a durbar in Accra to mark World Malaria Day 2026.
Ghana has reduced malaria prevalence from 27.5 per cent in 2011 to 8.6 per cent in 2022, while deaths have fallen from 3,259 to 52 in 2025, representing a 98 per cent decline. Child fatality rates have dropped by 76 per cent.
Two vaccines, RTS,S and R21, are being deployed, with first-dose coverage reaching 78.3 per cent.
Dr Akoriyea attributed the progress to sustained efforts by health workers, community engagement, partner support, and improved household prevention practices.
He described malaria elimination as a national development priority, noting that the disease continued to cost Ghana an estimated 427.7 million dollars annually in lost productivity, despite strong returns on investment in control measures.
To sustain gains, Dr Akoriyea said Ghana would launch the End Malaria Council, a multi-sector platform to mobilise domestic resources and coordinate action across government, the private sector, civil society and development partners.
He also highlighted the Government’s Free Primary Health Care policy as key to improving early diagnosis and strengthening disease surveillance.
Dr Akoriyea called for increased public funding, stronger private sector participation and sustained community action, urging citizens to use insecticide-treated nets, vaccinate children, maintain clean environments, and seek prompt testing and treatment.
He noted that success would depend on sustained national commitment, saying “Zero malaria starts with me.”
Dr Fiona Braka, the World Health Organization Country Representative to Ghana, said intensified efforts were needed to eliminate malaria as a public health threat, particularly in Africa where the burden remained highest.
She noted that the disease continued to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year, mostly among young children.
“In 2024, nearly 95 per cent of the 600,000 global malaria deaths occurred in Africa, with three-quarters among children,” she said, describing the deaths as preventable.
Dr Braka said progress in countries such as Ghana showed that elimination was achievable through stronger political commitment, increased domestic investment and the adoption of innovative tools.
She cited the rollout of malaria vaccines in 25 countries, including Ghana, which are expected to protect about 10 million children annually, alongside the use of improved mosquito nets and digital technologies for outbreak response.
However, she warned of ongoing challenges, including insecticide and drug resistance, climate variability and funding gaps, and called for sustained investment, stronger national ownership and data-driven strategies.
Dr Robert Amesiya, Greater Accra Regional Health Director, also urged stakeholders to intensify efforts, and emphasised the importance of community-level action.
He called on households to improve environmental sanitation, while urging traditional and religious leaders to promote preventive practices.
Health workers, Dr Amesiya, said, must ensure testing before treatment and proper follow-up of cases.
He said that municipal and district assemblies must enforce sanitation by-laws, while non-governmental organisations and civil society groups should continue supporting national malaria control efforts.
The event was preceded by a health walk involving health workers, traditional leaders, students, government officials and community volunteers, highlighting what organisers described as a shared national responsibility to end malaria.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
