Nigeria—Support to National Malaria Elimination Programme (SuNMaP)

The Support to the National Malaria programme (SuNMaP) worked in close cooperation with Nigeria’s National Malaria Control Elimination Programme (NMEP) in 10 states and selected local governments within those states. Eventually covering around 40 percent of Nigeria’s population, SuNMaP rolled out activities in Anambra, Kano, Lagos, Niger, Ogun Jigawa, Enugu, Katsina and Yobe states.

SuNMaP worked to improve capacity for national, state and local government area policy development; planning and coordination; harmonisation; prevention of malaria; treatment of malaria; awareness and demand creation; and operations research, monitoring and evaluation.

DAI Global Health’s Health Partners International (HPI) provided technical assistance in health systems strengthening for national and state-level capacity for policy development, planning, and coordination of malaria control activities. HPI’s key focus included providing technical and operational support in building local on-the-job capacity for management at all levels of the national malaria elimination programme.

Sample Activities

• Improve access to Artemisinin Combination Therapy drugs for paying customers at retail outlets.
• Support training and mentoring in malaria programme management.
• Develop strategies that communicate effective malaria prevention messages to the general public.
• Working with national and state authorities to carry out universal mosquito net campaigns.

Select Results

• Developed a revised and more coherent national malaria policy and malaria monitoring and evaluation strategy in Nigeria.
• Developed a new National Strategic Malaria Plan and associated annual operational plans at the national, state, and local levels.
• Established systems for continuous routine distribution and improved availability of vaccines.
• Established annual review and planning processes of malaria control activities and development of costed annual operational plans, which are reviewed regularly for progress and use evidence to set out a clear direction for malaria control.
• Improved quality and coverage of diagnostic and treatment services for malaria as a result of extensive training of health workers and development of a strong pool of trainers.
• Improved integrated supportive supervision processes across health facilities and management bodies.
• Established quality assurance systems for malaria diagnostic laboratory services.
• Strengthened monitoring and evaluation, data collection and analysis of the malaria eradication elimination programme.
• Increased coverage of the population by malaria prevention and control interventions and increased access to malaria treatment.

The programme was led by the Malaria Consortium, other core consortium members included DAI Global companies HPI and GRID Consulting. Other partners included Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria, Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group, and Christian Health Association of Nigeria.