Ghana has made significant strides in the fight against malaria, achieving a remarkable 97% reduction in deaths caused by the disease between 2014 and 2024.
Additionally, malaria-related outpatient department (OPD) cases have declined by 3%, and hospital admissions due to malaria have decreased by 17%, showcasing the country’s continued progress in combating the disease.
At an event commemorating 2025 World Malaria Day, Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, shared the country’s ambitious goals for the next phase of its malaria elimination efforts.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, the minister highlighted the National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan (2023-2028), which aims to reduce malaria-related deaths by 51% by the end of the strategic period.
A key focus of the plan includes a targeted 36% reduction in the under-five malaria case fatality rate by the end of 2024, using 2022 as a baseline year.
The plan also emphasizes the continued roll-out of the malaria vaccine, with the goal of achieving over 70% coverage for the first dose.
“We will continue to expand effective interventions such as indoor residual spraying, insecticide-treated nets distribution, seasonal malaria chemo prevention, intermittent preventive treatment for pregnancy, case management, malaria vaccines, and other new interventions,” Akandoh said.
The Minister further urged stakeholders and the general public to sustain the momentum in the fight against malaria.
He emphasized that malaria elimination requires action from every individual, community, and district across the country.
“Let us ensure that every Ghanaian, young or old, understands that malaria elimination begins with us,” he said. “Together, with commitment, knowledge, and collective action, we can, and we will, make history.”
