Epinova Health has announced a strategic collaboration with The Malaria Club, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, to strengthen malaria surveillance, identify vulnerable communities, and support more effective public health interventions across Africa.
According to theย World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2025, an estimatedย 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths occurred worldwide in 2024. The WHO African Region accounted for approximatelyย 94% of cases and 95% of deaths, with children under five representing approximatelyย 75% of malaria deaths in the region.
Nigeria remains particularly affected, accounting for approximatelyย 31.9% of malaria deaths in the WHO African Region in 2024.
Against this backdrop, the two organizations aim to bridge the gap between disease intelligence and practical public health action, helping stakeholders identify where malaria risks are greatest, which populations are most vulnerable and where available resources could have the greatest impact.
From Disease Data to Targeted Public Health Action
A central priority of the collaboration is to explore the development of practical, location-specific malaria intelligence that can support decisions by public health authorities, researchers and implementing organizations.
Epinovaย intend to identify priority geographic areas and assess opportunities for initial malaria-focused pilot projects. Subject to relevant approvals and project agreements, the proposed activities could include:
Mapping malaria hotspots: Examining historical disease patterns alongside environmental and geographic indicators to identify communities requiring closer surveillance and targeted interventions.Identifying vulnerable populations: Assessing disease burden, geographic accessibility and relevant population characteristics to help highlight underserved areas.Supporting intervention microplanning: Producing localized risk maps and analytical reports to help public health teams prioritize surveillance, preventive measures and other locally appropriate interventions.Evaluating early-warning indicators: Investigating whether changes in disease patterns and environmental conditions can provide useful advance indications of increased malaria risk.Tracking intervention performance: Developing monitoring indicators and reports to help evaluate implementation, identify gaps and guide programme improvements.
The initial focus will be on establishing the feasibility and practical value of these approaches through locally validated evidence rather than deploying technology without adequate evaluation.
Khalid Shaikh, Founder and CEO of Epinova Health, commented:ย “The real measure of progress in public health is not how much data we collect or how sophisticated our technology becomes, but how effectively that information leads to action. We want to help public health teams identify high-risk communities earlier, understand where resources are needed most and make better-informed decisions before disease burdens escalate.ย Through this collaboration, our priority is to translate disease intelligence into practical tools, validated evidence and targeted public health action. We believe technology creates meaningful impact only when it strengthens the work of the people and institutions serving communities on the ground.”
Establishing Field-Level Pilots and Strengthening Scientific Evidence
The collaboration creates an opportunity to explore an initial malaria intelligence pilot in a mutually agreed location. The partners intend to work with relevant stakeholders to verify analytical findings against local public health conditions and assess their usefulness for real-world programme planning. The organizations will also explore joint operational research, scientific publications, programme evaluations and collaborative funding applications.
Professor Olugbenga Mokuolu, Advisor, emphasized the importance of strengthening the scientific and operational foundations of malaria control:ย “Malaria remains one of the most persistent public health challenges confronting African communities. Despite decades of intervention, significant gaps remain in surveillance, timely risk identification and the effective targeting of available resources.ย Our focus must be on strengthening the connection between research, surveillance and implementation. This collaboration presents an opportunity to evaluate new approaches, generate locally relevant evidence and support public health programmes with information that can improve planning, accountability and the effectiveness of interventions. Scientific validation and community realities must remain central to every step.”
Mobilizing Communities and Developing Local Public Health Capacity
Recognizing that effective malaria control depends on local participation, the collaboration will also explore ways to strengthen community engagement, research participation and public health capacity development.
The Malaria Club’s academic and community networks could support the identification of locally relevant public health priorities, engagement with appropriate stakeholders and coordination of agreed field-validation activities.
Proposed capacity-building activities include training public health professionals, researchers and other relevant personnel in disease surveillance, risk interpretation, geographic assessment and the responsible use of public health intelligence tools.
Joint educational and research initiatives may also create opportunities for students and early-career public health professionals to gain practical experience in epidemiological analysis, evidence generation and programme evaluation.
Dr. Kolapo Ibrahim Olajide, President of The Malaria Club, said:ย “For communities affected by malaria, the most important question is simple: what will change on the ground? Our ambition is to help identify communities facing the greatest risks, strengthen the evidence available to local health teams and support better planning of interventions that reach the people who need them most.ย The Malaria Club has always recognized the importance of public health education, youth participation and community engagement. Through this collaboration, we hope to connect those strengths with research and practical disease intelligence, while creating opportunities for young African researchers and public health professionals to contribute directly to malaria control efforts.”
The long-term objective is to help turn surveillance information into actionable evidence that supports earlier risk identification, better-targeted interventions, stronger programme monitoring and more resilient public health systems.
