Management Sciences for Health to Reduce Malaria-related Maternal and Child Mortality in Nigeria

Arlington, VA—July 16, 2018—Management Sciences for Health (MSH) announced today that it has been awarded USAID funding to support Nigeria’s National Malaria Elimination Program. MSH will support the delivery of quality services to manage malaria treatment and complications, and to help prevent the disease during pregnancy, with the goal of reducing malaria-related under-five and maternal mortality.

“We are honored to support Nigeria in its efforts to create a stronger, more resilient health system,” said Marian W. Wentworth, MSH’s President & CEO. “Our global expertise strengthening health systems and scaling up best practices in malaria, especially in fragile states, will ensure the success of this project.”

The program, USAID Nigeria U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative for States, will be implemented over five years under the National Malaria Program’s vision of a malaria-free Nigeria, and in line with the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) goal of reducing malaria deaths by one-third in the country by 2020.

MSH will work with national, state, and local authorities to reach the four main objectives of the PMI: to increase malaria test rates from 30% to 85% of suspected cases; to provide appropriate malaria treatment in at least 85% of confirmed cases; to increase the number of pregnant women receiving three or more doses of intermittent preventive treatment to 80%; and to increase access to appropriate treatment of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea by 50% from 2015 levels by scaling up integrated community case management.

The program will be implemented in partnership with U.S.-based global development consultancy Banyan Global, the U.S.-based health systems development organization ThinkWell, and the Nigerian Interfaith Action Association.

MSH has worked in Nigeria since 1994 on projects focused on child health, reproductive health, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS treatment and care; activities related to leadership and management; supply chain management and access to medicines; and more. In January 2018, MSH became the subrecipient of a Global Fund grant to support the implementation of malaria services in 13 states across Nigeria.