WORLD MALARIA DAY 2026

Theme: “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can, Now We Must”

Accra, Ghana – 25th April, 2026

As the world marks World Malaria Day 2026, the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) is calling for renewed commitment, stronger partnerships, and sustained action to end malaria.  Malaria continues to be one of the leading public health challenges, affecting millions of people every year and placing the greatest burden on children under five, pregnant women, low-income households, and communities with limited access to health services. Beyond its toll on health, malaria also affects school attendance, worker productivity, household incomes, and national development. AMMREN recognises that malaria elimination is achievable if government, development partners, civil society, the media, researchers, health professionals, and communities work together with a shared sense of urgency.

This year’s theme, “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can, Now We Must,” is a timely and powerful call for African governments to intensify efforts and translate commitments into measurable results. The tools, knowledge, and proven interventions needed to eliminate malaria already exist. What is needed now is stronger urgency, sustained leadership, strategic coordination, domestic resource mobilization, increased investment, and meaningful social and behavioural change to ensure these lifesaving tools are accepted, adopted, and consistently used by every household and community in line with the Continental Malaria Elimination Agenda.

A Free Primary Health Care initiative presents a unique and strategic opportunity to accelerate progress towards expanding equitable access to malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services, particularly in underserved, rural, and hard-to-reach communities. If effectively implemented, such a policy can reduce delays in care-seeking, lower malaria-related illness and deaths, reduce out-of-pocket costs for families, and move Africa closer to its elimination targets. To sustain progress and achieve the Malaria Elimination agenda, AMMREN calls for action in the following key areas:

• Strengthening of domestic investment in malaria control and elimination while ensuring continuous availability of insecticide-treated nets, rapid diagnostic tests, and quality-assured antimalarial medicines across all levels of care.
• Community health workers must be trained, equipped, and supported to provide timely prevention, testing, referral, and treatment services, especially in remote areas.
• Engaging communities through sustained education and behaviour change campaigns that encourage consistent use of mosquito nets, environmental sanitation, elimination of mosquito breeding sites, prompt testing before treating, early care-seeking, and full adherence to prescribed treatment. 
• Involvement of journalists, researchers, and advocates in raising awareness on misinformation, promoting healthy behaviours, highlighting progress gaps, and keeping malaria elimination high on the national agenda.

Malaria is preventable, treatable, and eliminable. Now we can. Now we must. Together, we can eliminate Malaria from Africa end for good.

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Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Secretary, African Media and Malaria Research Network.

Email: ammren1@gmail.com /Tel: +233 553442105/ +233 303933452