Ekiti State Government said it has recorded a breakthrough in malaria control by embracing the Immunisation Plus and the Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project, a World Bank-supported initiative.
This declaration was made at the weekend during the transition ceremony held in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital, marking the end of over two years of intensive implementation by Solina Health and the beginning of government stewardship of the programme.
The State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Olusola Igotun, commended Solina Health, the World Bank, and frontline stakeholders across all local government areas in the State for recording transformational impact on community health.
She said the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji had consistently provided policy direction, funding support, and an enabling environment that made the programme achievable.
According to her, the State Government is fully ready and committed to sustaining the gains, stressing that the handover would not lead to any setback in service delivery.
The Senior Manager at Solina Health, Dr. Hidaya Bello, who represented the Principal of Solina, Dr. Abdulateef Salisu, appreciated all implementing partners, community structures, and health workers for their dedication throughout the project period.
She, however, assured that Solina would not renege on partnering with the Ekiti State Government to maintain and build on the giant strides achieved.
“The collaboration, resilience, and shared ownership demonstrated across the 16 LGAs played a major role in achieving these results. We are confident that Ekiti State is committed to sustaining the impact,” she assured.
The Director of Solina Health in Ekiti State, Dr. Daniel Abraham, while outlining the achievements recorded under the initiative, thanked the Ekiti State Government for providing an enabling environment that contributed largely to the success of the IMPACT Project over the last two years.
He thanked the stakeholders across all 16 LGAs and 177 wards for their consistent collaboration, noting that their collective support made the implementation smooth and impactful.
The IMPACT Project Coordinator and State Malaria Elimination Programme Manager, Dr. Folu Ekundare, presented an overview of the intervention, saying that Nigeria still bears one of the highest malaria burdens globally, making sustained efforts significant.
He itemised notable achievements of the project, including 1,250 health workers trained on updated malaria case-management guidelines, improved service delivery in 203 primary health care facilities across the State, and more than 958,000 women, children, and community members reached with targeted interventions.
Other areas included strengthening data reporting systems, leading to better planning and decision-making, and improved antenatal care attendance and facility-focused deliveries in targeted communities.
Dr. Ekundare further disclosed that the project distributed thousands of insecticide-treated nets, implemented indoor residual spraying in high-transmission areas, improved supply chains for rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), ACTs, SP, and Artesunate, and expanded community awareness campaigns on prevention and early care-seeking.
Meanwhile, some field workers and community beneficiaries also testified that the project improved access to prompt malaria diagnosis, strengthened health facilities, and increased community knowledge on malaria prevention.
While appreciating the success of the project, Solina Health presented awards to key supporters, including the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Olusola Igotun, and the Programme Coordinator, Dr. Folu Ekundare, for their outstanding roles in promoting the initiative.
