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The Plateau State Government has officially flagged off its 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign. This initiative aims to prevent children from malaria and further lower the disease burden across the state.
The flag-off ceremony was held at the Crispan Event Center in Jos and brought together government officials, health practitioners, development partners, and other stakeholders, aimed at providing life-saving preventive malaria medication to eligible children during the peak transmission season.
In his welcome address, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, commended the First Lady of Plateau State for her role as the 2026 SMC Ambassador. He noted that her active support has significantly advanced child protection efforts.
Dr. Ba’amlong praised the State Malaria Elimination Programme, Malaria Consortium, development partners, and frontline health workers. Their collective efforts in seasonal prevention have driven down malaria cases across the state.
The Commissioner also thanked Governor Caleb Mutfwang for prioritizing the health sector and providing robust funding. He urged community leaders and stakeholders to champion the campaign to ensure its widespread success.
In recognition of her advocacy for women and children, the First Lady of Plateau State, Barr. Helen Mutfwang, was officially crowned the 2026 SMC Ambassador.
Addressing the audience, Barr. Mutfwang described the flag-off as a vital step toward safeguarding children and improving public health.
She celebrated the state’s drastic drop in malaria prevalence, which plummeted from 18.8% in 2021 to 2.8% in 2025 due to joint interventions.
“This achievement demonstrates that with strong leadership, effective partnerships, and community participation, malaria can be defeated,” she stated.
She urged parents and caregivers to ensure all eligible children receive the free SMC medications during every phase of the campaign. She also commended Governor Mutfwang, Malaria Consortium, and community volunteers before officially flagging off the exercise.
Nrs. Ndak Andarawus, Project Manager of the IMPACT Project, explained that the campaign mobilizes communities to protect vulnerable children.
From June to October, community drug distributors, health workers, and supervisors will conduct house-to-house visits to administer preventive medicines to children aged 3 to 59 months.
“The aim of this medication is to prevent children from coming down with malaria. We want to reach over one million children, and we urge parents and guardians to make every eligible child available for this free and safe intervention.”
Andarawus also attributed the state’s drop in malaria prevalence to the sustained collaboration between health workers, the media, and community leaders.
Dr. Mbwas Mashor delivered a goodwill message on behalf of Dr. Maxwell Kolawole, the West and Central Africa Programme Director of Malaria Consortium. He praised the state’s progress despite Nigeria’s overall high malaria burden.
Dr. Mbwas reaffirmed Malaria Consortium’s commitment to the region. He called for increased government ownership and sustained funding to secure these public health gains.
Chundung Maina, Chairman of the Association of Primary Healthcare, lauded Plateau State’s shift toward data-driven planning and improved public health investment.
She noted that the state is becoming a national model for health sector improvement. Maina emphasized that continuous collaboration and adequate financing will be vital to sustaining this success.
The flag-off concluded with the crowning of the wives of local government chairmen as advocates for the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign, in a move to strengthen grassroots sensitization and improve community participation in malaria prevention efforts across Plateau State.
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