Benue earmarks N294.5m to fight malaria

The Benue State Government has approved N294.53 million as counterpart funding for the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across the state.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this to journalists in Makurdi on Saturday, saying the approval was given during the State Executive and Security Council meeting held at the Government House on Friday.

Ogwuche said the funding would complement financial, technical and implementation support from development partner PATH for the 2026 campaign.

He said the investment demonstrated the state government’s commitment to preventive healthcare and the protection of children against malaria, particularly during the peak transmission period.

“The approved N294.53 million state counterpart funding will complement the financial, technical and implementation support provided by the development partner, PATH, for the 2026 SMC campaign and strengthen government ownership and sustainability of the programme,” he said.

The commissioner said the Ministry of Health was pursuing a proactive approach to healthcare delivery through resource mobilisation, partnerships, programme coordination and interventions designed to produce measurable health outcomes.

He, however, stressed that funding alone would not guarantee the success of the campaign, urging healthcare workers, programme managers and volunteers to ensure that medicines and other resources reached eligible children.

Ogwuche also called for accurate record-keeping, effective community mobilisation, proper supervision and timely reporting throughout the campaign.

He urged parents, caregivers, traditional and religious leaders and other community stakeholders to support the programme by ensuring that eligible children received the recommended medicines from trained health workers.

The commissioner appealed to communities to cooperate with health personnel and support mobilisation activities to achieve broad coverage across the state.

He commended PATH for its support and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working with development partners, health workers and communities to ensure effective implementation of the campaign.

Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention is a preventive intervention that involves administering recommended antimalarial medicines to eligible children during periods of peak malaria transmission in areas where the disease is seasonal and intense, whether or not the children show symptoms.