By 
By Osasome, C.O
The National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and Sproxil Nigeria Limited have entered a strategic partnership to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and private-sector health data to strengthen malaria surveillance, diagnosis and treatment across Nigeria.
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The partnership, unveiled following a two-day strategic alignment meeting in Lagos on August 6 and 7, 2026, will introduce an AI-powered “Test, Treat, Track” roadmap designed to capture critical malaria data from community pharmacies and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs).
Health experts and development partners also participated in the meeting, which focused on how emerging technologies can improve malaria surveillance, diagnosis, health communication and support for frontline health workers.
AI to Strengthen Nigeria’s Malaria Response
Malaria remains a major public health challenge across Africa, with Nigeria accounting for a significant share of the continent’s burden.
While the country has recorded progress in recent years, stakeholders at the meeting said stronger data systems and innovative approaches are required to move Nigeria from malaria control towards eventual elimination.
The National Coordinator of NMEP, Dr Nnenna Chizaram Ogbulafor, said artificial intelligence could significantly improve the speed, quality and effectiveness of Nigeria’s malaria response.
“Artificial Intelligence offers us an opportunity to improve how we collect data, monitor interventions and strengthen programme implementation. Technology enables us to work smarter and respond faster, making it a critical part of the future of malaria control in Nigeria.”
Citing the 2025 Malaria Indicator Survey, Ogbulafor said malaria prevalence in Nigeria had fallen to about 15 per cent, attributing the progress to sustained investments in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
However, she noted that important gaps remain, particularly in capturing malaria-related activities outside government health facilities.
Private Pharmacies Seen as Critical Data Source
Millions of Nigerians obtain medicines or healthcare advice from community pharmacies and PPMVs, but information generated through these interactions is often not incorporated into the country’s national malaria surveillance system.
Sproxil Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ashifi Gogo, said integrating private-sector health information with government data could give policymakers a more comprehensive picture of malaria trends across the country.
“Those interactions generate valuable information, yet they are largely invisible to the National Malaria Elimination Programme.”
According to Gogo, combining government data with information from the private healthcare ecosystem would help identify where malaria is occurring and where interventions are most urgently required.
He said improved information would ultimately support better policy and resource-allocation decisions.
AI to Improve Malaria Test Accuracy
The strategic meeting also examined Sproxil’s AI-assisted malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (mRDT) reading and digital verification technology.
The technology is designed to assist in interpreting malaria rapid diagnostic tests and could help accelerate the reporting of Test Positivity Rates from government health facilities.
Ibrahim Maikore, National Professional Officer for Malaria Surveillance at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Nigeria Country Office, said improved diagnostic accuracy could support more appropriate treatment decisions while strengthening the quality of malaria surveillance data.
How the ‘Test, Treat, Track’ AI Roadmap Works
The initiative is built around three interconnected components designed to integrate AI into frontline healthcare touchpoints across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Test: AI-Assisted Malaria Diagnosis
Healthcare providers at pharmacies and chemist outlets can submit photographs of malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests through WhatsApp.
Sproxil’s AI technology is designed to interpret the test result as positive, negative or invalid within seconds, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy and helping reduce unnecessary treatment.
The approach is also intended to support efforts to limit inappropriate antimalarial use and the broader risks associated with antimicrobial resistance.
Treat: Medicine Verification
The initiative also incorporates Sproxil’s digital medicine-verification infrastructure.
According to the partnership framework, genuine Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) antimalarial packs carry a 13-digit verification PIN. Consumers can send the code to the mobile shortcode 38353 to verify the authenticity of the medicine before use.
Track: Real-Time Malaria Surveillance
Test and medicine-verification events can be automatically GPS-tagged and incorporated into an AI-supported surveillance layer.
The system is designed to generate a real-time private-sector Test Positivity Rate (TPR) map, giving NMEP additional visibility into malaria trends outside conventional government health facilities.
Bridging Nigeria’s Private-Sector Health Data Gap
A central objective of the partnership is to address what stakeholders described as a longstanding gap in national health data.
The private healthcare sector represents a major point of contact for Nigerians seeking medicines and health advice, yet information from these interactions has historically been difficult to incorporate into national disease surveillance systems.
Sproxil’s Sproxil Nigeria Malaria Survey (SNMS) is intended to collect structured, routine information from private healthcare providers and complement existing government data systems.
The initiative also incorporates collaboration with the World Health Organisation to ensure that collected information aligns with relevant global standards and can support wider analysis.
AI Chatbot to Support Health Workers
The partnership will also leverage Sproxil’s AISHA Conversational AI platform to support healthcare worker training, provide continuous assistance and deliver localised malaria awareness messaging in multiple languages.
The use of conversational AI is expected to complement conventional training and communication channels by providing frontline providers with more accessible digital support.
Partnership Targets Wider Health Applications
The NMEP-Sproxil collaboration is expected to expand over the next year, with plans to scale AI-supported mRDT interpretation across additional state-level catchments and integrate structured reports into national health dashboards.
The digital infrastructure could eventually be extended beyond malaria surveillance.
Stakeholders indicated that the underlying platform could support monitoring of interventions for tuberculosis, HIV, maternal and child health, particularly in areas where private-sector medicine vendors and healthcare providers serve as an important first point of contact.
Data Privacy and Responsible AI Remain Key
As the initiative expands, stakeholders emphasised the need for scientific validation, responsible data governance, privacy protection and interoperability with existing public health databases.
The focus on responsible deployment reflects the growing role of AI and digital health technologies in Nigeria’s healthcare system, while underscoring the importance of ensuring that new data systems complement rather than fragment existing national health infrastructure.
The NMEP-Sproxil partnership ultimately seeks to turn previously fragmented private-sector healthcare interactions into actionable intelligence that can help Nigeria detect malaria trends faster, improve diagnosis and treatment, target interventions more effectively and accelerate the country’s long-term ambition of malaria elimination.
