This is even as Nigeria, on its part has increased the annual allocation for malaria control up to the sum of N1.5 billion in order to achieve the objective of eradicating the disease totally.

As a take-off of the programme, the World Bank launched Phase 11 of its malaria booster programme on Wednesday in Abuja, in a joint effort with the country’s Ministry of Health.

The World Bank Group president, Robert B. Zoellick, while disclosing the amount on the occasion, said the new financial commitment would help African countries over the next three years to expand their malaria prevention, care, and treatment programmes, and to sharply reduce the number of malaria- related deaths and illness that afflict their communities each year.

He said, "Malaria is a crushing development burden for poor people and developing countries, which the World Bank is committed to fighting for as long as it takes to get it under control. Malaria preys on the poor and keeps them poor. Poverty prevents people from buying bed-nets to prevent malaria and medicine to cure it. When people are struck by the disease, parents miss work; children miss school; and malaria emergencies plunge families into debt from which they can’t recover."

He said that, apart from this gesture, the World Bank was ready to commit more resources to the battle against malaria, not only in Nigeria, but Africa as a whole while calling on the joint effort of African leaders in the eradication of the disease from the continent.

Speaking also alongside the Ministers of Health, a World Bank vice president and country director, leaders from the Roll Back Malaria partnership and the Global Fund, as well as Ray Chambers, United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria, welcomed the new commitment from the World Bank and said Phase 11 of the Booster Programme will have a major impact in Africa’s malaria-endemic countries

In her address, the World Bank vice president for the Africa Region, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili said the Booster Programme would redouble it’s effort and work to support health systems as they prevent and treat malaria

She said, "Through efforts of the World Bank and our partners over the last few years, we are beginning to reduce malaria deaths in some countries. Phase of the Booster Programme aims to save more lives, improve health systems and help countries work together to stop the spread of this disease."

Earlier, while declaring open the launch, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan said that with a vision to have a malaria- free, the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, led by Dr. Mohammed Hassan has revised her National Malaria Control Strategy to scale up impact against malaria, which implies achieving high coverage of effective malaria control.

He said that it was gratifying to note that Global Fund determination to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, recently announced it has approved Round 8 of the Global Fund grant to the tune of close to US$600Million in the next five years to fight malaria in Nigeria as well as US$200 Million for health system strengthening.

The vice president said if malaria scourge is to be controlled and ultimately eliminated, interventions must be comprehensive and holistic, adding that sustained financing must be made available and community involvement and leadership must be encouraged alongside strong national and regional partnership.

The Phase 11 of the Malaria Booster Programme will work to expand bed net distribution, provide treatment to the rural poor and improve health systems in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.